The pandemic has given us many obsessions — from Dalgona coffee to sourdough bread and whatnot. Now, we've got ourselves a new obsession, Wordle! This once-a-day word game was introduced to the world in October last year and today, over three million people around the world play this guessing game.
Also, if you haven't been initiated into the world of Wordle yet, don't worry, we got you. Also, do you know that it was love that led to the creation of Wordle. Here's all about this obsessive word game.
So, how did it all begin? Who created Wordle?
Software engineer Josh Wardle was well aware of the fact that his partner, Palak Shah, had an affinity for word games, especially crosswords. As a play on his own surname, Wardle, the Brooklyn-based techie created the crossword-esque game Wordle and the duo used to play it very often. Soon, it expanded to the family WhatsApp group and now, it has taken over the internet.
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What's the basic premise of the game?
Every day, a secret five-letter word is released at midnight. The player has six tries to guess the word via the deduction method. Each time you guess a word, the letters turn green, yellow or grey. Green means that you've managed to guess the right letter and the right position; yellow would mean that the letter appears somewhere in the word yet it's not in the right position currently while grey means that the letter doesn't feature in the word at all.
Okay, what happens after one cracks the correct word?
Once you have guessed the right word or run out of chances, you will be prompted to share the result. The game itself has an option via which you can share the result in the format that you got it right in. This will ensure that you do not spoil the game for others or give away the right answer while everyone else is solving it. By the way, the sharing-the-results feature started only in mid-December last year.
Can anyone play it?
Yes, just go to powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle. The game is currently available via the web browser alone. So beware of all the paid app versions which are floating around on the World Wide Web.
How does the backend work though?
A randomisation algorithm picks one word from the randomly ordered words and in this way, even the creator, Josh Wardle, doesn't know which word will turn up next.
What makes the game so compelling that almost every other netizen is obsessed with it?
For starters, there is only one puzzle per day, which means, you have just one shot. Then there is a fact that everyone across the world gets the same puzzle, there is a competitive element to it. Though we must add that the social media community is not indulging in spoilers and playing by the book, lending the game a certain wholesome quality. And then when one shares the result online, one feels like they are a part of a bigger community, quite a nice feeling during this isolating pandemic, isn't it?
The website itself has no frills, no ads, no pop-up windows, no flashing banners or anything else, not even notifications. Just the game on a black background that would require a couple of minutes. Josh Wardle, in an interview with The New York Times, said, “I think people kind of appreciate that there’s this thing online that’s just fun,” and added, “It’s not trying to do anything shady with your data or your eyeballs. It’s just a game that’s fun.”
What are some strategies to crack Wordle?
The trick is to guess the letters of the secret word as fast as one can. So one of the strategies is to choose a word loaded with vowels for the first attempt. Words like adieu, teary, pious, stare and roate are quite popular. When the vowels are figured out, it helps with narrowing down options.
Avoid using words like radar, basically, words that use the same letter twice. And please, no random guesses. In most cases, they don't get one anywhere. Also, have you heard of RSTLNE? These consonants are the most commonly used in the English alphabet, depicting about 45 per cent of the letters used in the text. Guessing these particular words can make your guessing game a tad bit easier so try using words like nests or learn. Do note, folks, they use US spellings and not British.
But seriously, how long can this go on for?
As many as 12,000 — that's the number of five-letter words in the English language. But since they do contain a few obscure and out-of-use words too, the list has been narrowed to 2,500. Now with only one word releasing per day, you can guess how many years the game could possibly last.
