“Wordle” of Mouth
Published on March 21, 2022, at 10:30 p.m.
by Heather Smyth.
“Did you do the Wordle, yet?”
This is a daily question between my roommates and me every morning. If the answer is “yes,” we compare how many tries it took for us to solve the puzzle. If the answer is “no,” it’s an unspoken rule that we don’t give the word away.
Wordle is an online puzzle game owned by The New York Times. The goal is to decode the five-letter hidden word in six tries or less. After each attempt, the letters in the word will turn gray, green or yellow. Gray means the letter is not in the word, green means the letter is in the correct spot, and yellow means the letter is in the wrong spot. The keyboard corresponds with the grid colors to make visualizing your next guess easier. There is a new puzzle available every day and no time limit for solving it. All you have to do is type “Wordle” into your web browser to begin.
A popular word to start the puzzle that’s circling the internet is “adieu,” because it eliminates or rearranges four vowels, followed by “story.” Once the vowels are in place, another strategy is to suggest words with common consonants, such as N, S, R and T. It’s always helpful to use different letters and not include ones that were marked gray. Wordle is a trial-and-error concept with clues provided after each attempt.
Wordle quickly started trending in 2022 because everyone has the chance to solve the same puzzle daily. Playing Wordle has turned into a friendly competition throughout the online community as people can boast how they guessed the word in only a few tries. Anyone is a winner if the answer is solved correctly before the six attempts are up.
Each player can copy their score in the form of colored emoji to conceal the answer but still show their progress. It’s a way to not spoil the word for others. The Wordle number is displayed, followed by the amount of attempts out of six. This is a common conversation starter over text message, and #Wordle on Twitter is flooded with players’ daily results.
The Wordle results grid circling the internet has inspired companies to put their own personal spins on it. In a promotional effort, Lego has used colorful LEGO bricks in place of the letter tiles because it is an effective visual for the brand. Also, McDonald’s Philippines changed the green tiles to red, making the grid look like french fries.
There are spoilers on the internet, so Wordle users have to resist the urge to check, even if they’re down to their final guess. Some of the daily answers are words that many are not familiar with. Wordle #242 on Feb. 16, 2022, had players frustrated because the word “caulk” was an obscure word that a large number had missed.
Wordle is doable, but also provides the perfect amount of difficulty. As people reflect on their personalized guesses for the hidden word, curiosity surrounding the game continues to trend online to see how other players compare. Next time you see those gray, green and yellow boxes online, you’ll be able to decode what it means.
Did you do the Wordle today?
