New York Times’ Wordle has gone viral all over the world. From 90 daily players at the beginning of 2022, to over 300,000, Wordle is now an internet sensation – five months after its official release. This mind-boggling game challenges its players to guess a five-letter word in six tries or less. This may seem like a rather simple task, but navigating through 158,390 five-letter words to grasp the daily unique word is more frustrating than most care to admit. 

Josh Wardle, creator of Wordle, crafted a peculiar hint to give his Wordle fanatics: each letter has a color to it. If the letter’s color is gray, that letter is not present in the five-letter word. If the color is yellow, that letter is present in the word but not in the correct spot. If the letter is green, that letter is present in the word and in the correct spot. Using this guidance, one must accurately arrange all five letters in the correct spaces to win. Easy enough, right?

RUPEE n. 1. A cupronickel coin and monetary unit of India, Nepal, and Pakistan, equal to 100 paise

CYNIC n. 1. A person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness

QUERY n., pl. –ries. 1. A question; an inquiry

Wordle’s No. 196, No. 240, and No. 255 show how vexatious this word game truly can be. Some five-letter words can contain double letters, where oftentimes guessing one letter correctly doesn’t hint at the possibility of there being another. Some words, such as query, contain one of the least common letters in the English language. Many players find it equal parts exhilarating and frustrating to arrange the perfect combination using the 26 letters in the English lexicon, especially in cases similar to these. 

Every Wordle aficionado has their own unique way of playing – this includes using a distinct “starting word” with each daily Wordle. One’s strategy could consist of using a starting word with mostly vowels, such as adieu. Another strategy for some with this is using a starting word with some of the most common consonants, such as smart. 

New York Times’ Wordle, now an international sensation, continues to inspire a variety of individuals from artistic and imaginative minds to those more logical and coherent. Wordle enthusiasts are growing in numbers worldwide and only plan to continue their internet takeover. 

Do you think you have what it takes to tackle Wordle? Try it out yourself…