Internet meme · Classic
Wordle
Wordle is a web-based word-guessing game where players have six tries to guess a five-letter word, with feedback shown via colored tiles and a daily puzzle shared by players.
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Where it started
Wordle is a web-based word game created and developed by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle. In the game, players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, receiving feedback through coloured tiles that indicate correct letters and their placement. A single puzzle is released daily, with all players attempting to solve the same word. It was inspired by the game Mastermind. Originally developed as a personal project for Wardle and his partner, Wordle was publicly released in October 2021. It gained widespread popularity in late 2021 after the introduction of a shareable emoji-based results format, which led to viral discussion on social media. The game's success spurred the creation of numerous clones, adaptations in other languages, and variations with unique twists. It has been well-received, being played 4.8 billion times during 2023. The New York Times Company acquired Wordle in January 2022 for a "low seven-figure sum". The game remained free but underwent changes, including the removal of offensive or politically sensitive words and the introduction of account logins to track stats. Wordle was later added to the New York Times Crossword app (later The New York Times Games) and accompanied by WordleBot, which gave players analysis on their gameplay. In November 2022, Tracy Bennett became the game's first editor, refining word selection. Also in 2022, Hasbro released a physical board game based on Wordle, and in May 2026, NBC announced it was bringing Wordle as a prime time game show sometime in 2027, hosted by Savannah Guthrie.
The use timeline
A word-guessing game similar to Jotto and Mastermind, where the player has only six tries to guess a five-letter word each day, the game indicating whether letters are in the word or in the correct position. The game became popular over a few weeks after the ability to share results with others via social media was added near the end of 2021. The game's popularity led to The New York Times Company acquiring the game from its creator Josh Wardle at the end of January 2022 for an undisclosed seven-figure sum.
Wikidata Q110367996: Wordle — web-based word logic game.
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