Cover Created by Josh Wardle, Wordle (which is a play on his name), is a five- letter word guessing game that gives the user six tries to guess the word correctly (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Created by Josh Wardle, Wordle (which is a play on his name), is a five- letter word guessing game that gives the user six tries to guess the word correctly (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
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Keep your Wordle streak going with these never-fail strategies, from choosing the perfect starter to decoding tricky letter patterns
Wordle came to consciousness when friends began posting random blocks on their Facebook statuses towards the end of 2021. The blocks apparently represented a word game; how tall your blocks were represented the attempts you’ve made. The game was Wordle. You have six tries to guess the day’s five-letter word. A green block meant you guessed the right letter in the right place; a yellow meant you had the right letter in the wrong place; a grey meant the letter was not part of the word.
It sounds simple, but can you imagine having one last try to guess “_andy”? How do you choose from “handy,” “randy,” “dandy,” and “candy”?
Also read: What in the world is Wordle? (And how do I play it?)
By January 2022, the New York Times acquired Wordle from software engineer Josh Wardle. It’s still complimentary for daily play, but accessing the archived editions requires a subscription to NYT Games for P149 monthly.
If you’re not yet a Wordle whiz by now, you might want to try following these tips.
1. Choose a good anchor word
Your anchor word is the first word you try. How many correct letters it gives you serves as the basis for the rest of your guesses. Choose one loaded with vowels or common consonants (pro tip: use one-point-scoring letters in Scrabble). Some ideas for anchor words are adieu, stare, arise, least, and tears.
2. Adapt after your first guess
Once you’ve laid your foundation, observe the results. While you might be tempted to throw out guesses, each move should be deliberate. Avoid repeating grey letters and focus on combinations that make sense given the clues.
That said, seasoned players sometimes strategically repeat greyed-out letters to test out guesses.
Also read: Want more Wordle? 7 of the best alternatives to the viral word game
3. Embrace patterns and phonics
English is brimming with patterns. Think -tion, -ing, and ch. When you're down to a few guesses, leaning on common letter pairings can guide you to victory.
4. Don’t forget Y
If you feel like the word lacks vowels and you’ve already used up most of the five, don’t forget that Y can sometimes function as a vowel, too.
5. Remember: letters can appear more than once.
Even seasoned Wordle players can get stumped by words with letters that do double duty. You might have gotten that first T right without ever realising that the word uses two Ts.
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