With five letters and six guesses, hit word game Wordle seems to have taken the world by storm. On Jan. 31, 2022, The New York Times bought the recently released game. Wordle has already gained a lot of popularity and will now be owned by a top company in hopes of increasing its attraction.
Wordle was released in October of 2021 with only about 90 users after the first month but soon rose to millions of daily users. The online game takes as little as minutes to play, allowing users to attempt the game every day without having to worry about it being a large time consumer. Josh Wordle, the founder of Wordle, discussed how quickly the game can be played by all users. “It’s something that encourages you to spend three minutes a day,” he said. “It doesn’t want any more of your time than that.”
Each day, users are given a chance to attempt a single Wordle game. Those that participate will be given six guesses at a five letter word before the game is over. When a letter turns green, it means the letter is in the right spot. Yellow letters mean a correct letter but wrong placement, and gray means the letter is not in the word.
The game has brought up familiar vibes to old crossword puzzles that used to be popular. Senior Connor Riley recalls the old memories Wordle brings back. “The game reminds me of crossword puzzles I used to do all the time,” he said. “I feel like I’m a little kid again trying to solve every one as quickly as I can.”
Crossword puzzles and Wordle are both games that get the brain thinking while still allowing room for some fun. Wordle is starting to bring back old memories that formed from crossword puzzles. New users feel the same connection to old games as they do to Wordle which keeps their interest. “Wordle is very similar to the crossword puzzles I like to do,” said junior Henry Leslie. “They both test your knowledge of basic vocab words and they both make it challenging.”
Games like Wordle may lose popularity after some time, but the New York Times has a strong, consistent fan base. After the New York Times purchased Wordle, the sky is the limit for this new, intriguing game.
