What is Wordle? The viral word game

My family has been using a text messaging service for the past week. It’s a sacred space. It is usually three words in length, so it’s something like “Wordle in three.” Yes, like plenty of others on social media and beyond, we’ve discovered Wordle, a simple word game that’s got one puzzle — the same for everyone — to play daily. You just have to guess a single word, and you’ve got six tries.

The game’s been running for almost 200 days, but it’s really taken off over the past week, and it’s easy to see why.

It’s hard, but not too hard. You don’t necessarily have to be ParticularlyYou don’t have to be smart in order to excel at it. Please feelLike the most intelligent person alive. There’s nothing to download, either. Simply open the file in your web browser. Because it’s the same puzzle for everyone, there’s a way to directly compare yourself to others: A low stakes competition that’s delightful and not demoralizing. A lot of Polygon staff discovered the game today — you’re welcome — and we’re all eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s word.

Wordle image

These are the guidelines:

1. Guess a word. Any word with at least five letters.
2. Each word guess will have hints that show whether or not the letter is in the correct place, the wrong spot, or none at all.
3. Using these hints, make another guess and repeat until you’ve got the word — or don’t get the word, and lose.

There’s a hard mode, too, for players that want more of a challenge: On the top, right side of the in-browser screen, there’s a cog. Click that, and then click the slider to toggle on hard mode, which means you have to abide by the hints you’ve uncovered — and can’t just enter random words to figure out more letters or spots.

Creator Josh Wardle added a clever share button that makes it easy to share your guesses without spoilers, creating those cute emoji boards you’ve probably seen on social media. By clicking share, you save the emojis directly to your clipboard. Then, all your social media posts will be filled with praises for your word-game skills. WordleYou can also use text threads. This one-puzzle-a-day thing is both frustrating and important. It gives each morning a special feeling, just like when you spend time with your family. Wordle a little event we’re all waiting for.

Anyway, WordleIt is four.