Back when all the COVID lockdowns first occurred, people were looking for creative ways to stay occupied and have fun. A guy that wanted to give his girlfriend a gift designed a game for her to play called, “WORDLE.” The girlfriend could tell right away that he had a hit on his hands. She encouraged him to develop it further and to make it available to the public. Fast forward to the moment when he did just that, and the game immediately went viral. It became an international sensation overnight. That’s when The New York Times (NYT) offered to buy it. The guy who invented it filled his coffers, and, since then, the NYT has taken over the game, and everyone has been trying to improve their WORDLE score.
You can play the game on your own. However, there’s also an option to “share” your results with others. This allows you to start group chats and compete against friends and family.
When the NYT took over WORDLE, they made a lot of people mad
Young and old alike, all over the world, play WORDLE. For a while there, people were a bit miffed at the NYT. There seemed to be a general consensus that the daily puzzles posted online or through the cell phone app had become increasingly more difficult since the NYT took it over. It didn’t seem to deter people from playing, though.
If you’ve never tried WORDLE, here’s a basic run-down of how it works:
Every day, a new puzzle is posted. When you open the app or access the game online, you see six rows of five blank squares in each. Your job is to figure out what the hidden word is, in six attempts or less. You enter a word. If any of the squares turn green, it means you have a correct letter in a correct spot. If a square turns gold, it means you have a correct letter in the wrong spot. WORDLE is like a mini gym workout for the brain. It’s fun, but it can be frustrating, as well.
Keep these strategies to improve your WORDLE score
As with any new trend, people were quick to start posting their two cents on social media about how to get a good score in WORDLE. Since you only have six tries to solve the daily puzzle, you have to put on your thinking cap, big time. The following list includes helpful tips that folks who play the game daily believe can really help you improve your average score, especially number 3:
- Make your first attempt a word that contains at least 2 and, perhaps, 3 or 4 vowels. (To spur process of elimination.)
- Avoid using the same starting word every day. Change it up.
- Do a little research to discover the most commonly used letters in the English language, and try to use words that contain as many of them as possible.
- Play WORDLE when your at your peak cognitive function time of the day. Some people are sharpest at daybreak, others late at night.
- Bank off the Wheel of Fortune format for using RSTLNE as soon as possible.
- Some say it’s best to avoid using S in your first attempt.
- Try saving any GREENS you get on the first attempt for later and entering all new letters on the second try, instead. (Just don’t forget to work your GREENS back in as you go!)
WORDLE is a little luck mixed with a little bit of strategy. The worst result you can possibly get is to use up all six tries without guessing the hidden word of the day. If you use the WORDLE app, it keeps a running tally of your scores and averages. You can also select the “hard” version of the game for an added challenge. If you’re a WORDLE player, let us know what your best score has been. Some people have lucked out and revealed the hidden word on the first try!
