Wordle is 2022’s biggest craze this side of Tom Brady retiring, unretiring, and retiring again, Kanye’s love life, and Super Auto Pets. Developed by Josh Wardle, Wordle is a web-based word game where players attempt to guess 5-letter words. Similar to the old school game Mastermind, after each guess, you will be given feedback. Blocks will be highlighted yellow if they appear in the word. Blocks will be highlighted green if they appear in the world and are in the correct location. Additionally, a virtual keyboard on the screen will dim letters that have been already guessed. Utilizing your prowess in the English language, do your best to guess the word in 6 attempts! Easy, right? Now, why aren’t you playing Wordle yet?

Though Worlde is extremely simple in concept, it does many things correctly that catapulted it into the lives of over 3 million people worldwide.

It’s Easy to Learn 

As stated a few times now, Wordle is easy to learn. In fact, for my first Wordle (a custom one, more on this later), I literally did not know what the object was. After analyzing the 5 x 6 grid, I typed out SUPER in honor of Super Auto Pets and was greeted with a few highlighted letters. From there, I utilized the feedback and was able to solve the word in the next few tries.

You can Bounce in and Bounce out

Wordle is perfect to play in any scenario:

• On the subway, commuting to work.
• In the back of an Uber or Lyft. 
• Between classes. 
• On a company-wide video-call while your camera is off.
• Sitting on the toilet. 

Wordle really allows you to jump in and quickly type in a few short words and see how well you do. This is a key factor for games looking to target as wide of a demographic as possible. Our lives are often too busy to sit and play several 25-minute rounds of Apex Legends, Fortnite, Madden, or Overwatch. Quick games can sometimes win your attention over larger games due to this! 

It Keeps You Wanting More

Now, don’t play too fast; you only get one Wordle a day! Josh understood that scarcity is a great way to build intrigue. He could have easily given us a game where you could blow through 50 puzzles in a day. By doing that, I’m positive the game would not be as well received. It’s best to keep users wanting more. A lot of mobile games succeed in time-based activities. Clash of Clans, Angry Birds, Candy Crush, and several others rely on making you wait (unless you dump money into it). It’s a tried and true formula.

It Connects Us

Once you enter the Wordle community you’ll find yourself talking about it more than maybe otherwise be healthy. Because everyone gets the same Wordle, it can lead to IQ debates over who in the friend group was unable to come up with the word. Again, because it’s only one Wordle a day, you have enough time to give your group time to attempt it during their day. It also gives you time to Tweet about your genius intellect to the world. Or callously defend yourself.

Track Your Stats

If you are like me, you are a nerd for stats. Wordle delivers. It provides Games Played, Win Percentage, Current Streak, and Best Streak. It even provides Guess Distribution which is a measure of how many attempts to solve the daily puzzle over the course of your Wordle career. 

Additionally, though not directly affiliated with Wordle, you can find community stats from this Twitter account. 

Make Your Own Wordle

Now, if you really can’t wait a full 24 hours to get your next Wordle, don’t fret. You can create your own and challenge your friends and family! A simple search of “make my own Wordle” will lead you to several sites where you can generate your own puzzle and send a link in hopes of stumping your friends and family. Don’t be too harsh, as they will soon be able to return the favor!

Convinced yet? There’s no reason not to try Wordle at least once. Keep in mind, it may be as difficult to walk away from as eating one potato chip. Either way, we love games like Wordle which brings the concept of gaming into more hands. What do you think of Wordle? Let us know in the comments below!

By Julian

Julian got his start gaming under the tutelage of his older brother as the iconic player 2 like Tails and Luigi. He has since become player 1 and games mainly on console and PC combining his quirky and tactical insights.