Wordle, the daily word puzzle that swept the internet in 2021, has become a ritual for millions who start their morning with five green squares on a phone screen. This guide walks you through how to play, where to find hints, and what other word games the NYT ecosystem offers.
Launched: 2021 ·
Acquired by NYT: 2022 ·
Word length: 5 letters ·
Attempts per game: 6 ·
Daily puzzle: Yes
Quick snapshot
- Guess a 5-letter word in 6 tries (NYT Help Center)
- Use color feedback to narrow down letters (NYT Help Center)
- Share results without spoilers (NYT Help Center)
- Official NYT Wordle Review (The New York Times – Wordle tips article)
- Community discussion threads (The New York Times – Wordle tips article)
- In-app hint feature (The New York Times – Wordle tips article)
- Connections (NYT Connections)
- Quordle (Wikipedia)
- Spelling Bee (NYT Spelling Bee)
- Strands (NYT Games)
- Created by Josh Wardle in 2021 (Wikipedia)
- Acquired by NYT in 2022 (NYT Company press release)
- Remains free to play (Wikipedia)
Six key facts, one pattern: Wordle is a simple daily ritual with deliberate constraints that have made it a cultural phenomenon.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Launched | 2021 |
| Acquired by NYT | 2022 |
| Word length | 5 letters |
| Attempts per game | 6 |
| Daily puzzle | Yes |
| Platform | Web and mobile app |
What is Wordle NY?
Origin of Wordle
- Wordle was created by software engineer Josh Wardle in 2021 as a private game for his partner (Wikipedia).
- The original version was reportedly hosted at powerlanguage.co.uk before being migrated to the New York Times domain after the acquisition (YouTube tutorial).
How NYT acquired Wordle
- The New York Times Company announced the acquisition on January 30, 2022, for a price described as “in the low seven figures” (Reuters).
- NPR reported that the game would initially remain free to play (NPR).
Basic rules of the game
- Players have six attempts to guess a single five-letter word shared by all players that day (NYT Help Center).
- After each guess, letters are color-coded: green for correct letter in the correct position, yellow for correct letter in the wrong position, and gray for a letter not in the word (The New York Times – Wordle tips article).
- The game ends when the player guesses correctly, uses all six guesses, or when a new puzzle appears at midnight local time (NYT Help Center).
The rigid format — one puzzle, five letters, six tries — creates a shared experience that millions of players can discuss without spoilers, making Wordle one of the few daily digital rituals that feels both personal and communal.
How to Play Wordle on the New York Times Website?
Accessing the game on nytimes.com
- Visit nytimes.com/games/wordle on any web browser (NYT Help Center).
- No account is required to play the free daily puzzle.
- The game loads instantly with no download needed.
Using the NYT Games app
- Wordle is available in the NYT Games app and the NYT News app (NYT Help Center).
- The app also includes a hint feature and a “Create a puzzle” tool for custom Wordle-style puzzles.
Understanding the interface and feedback colors
- Type any valid five-letter word into the first row of empty boxes and press Enter (NYT Help Center).
- Blank white boxes indicate a guess has not been entered or the word was not accepted.
- Hard mode forces players to reuse revealed green and yellow letters in subsequent guesses (Wikipedia).
The trade-off: Hard mode reduces luck but can make the puzzle tougher if you’re stuck with a limited set of remaining letters. The NYT version uses a curated list of 2,309 possible answers following American English spelling conventions (Wikipedia).
- Open nytimes.com/games/wordle in your browser or the NYT Games app.
- Type a five-letter word into the first row and press Enter to submit your guess.
- Observe the color feedback: green means correct letter in the correct position, yellow means correct letter in the wrong position, gray means the letter is not in the word.
- Use the clues to narrow down possibilities and guess the word within six tries.
- Share your result grid (without revealing the answer) via text or social media to compare with friends.
Where to Find Hints and Answers for Today’s Wordle?
Official NYT hints and Wordle Review
- The New York Times publishes a daily Wordle Review with strategy notes and hints (The New York Times – Wordle tips article).
- The NYT app includes a built-in hint feature that reveals a clue about the word.
Community hint sources
- Third-party sites and YouTube channels offer daily hints and reveal the answer with spoiler warnings (YouTube: NYTimes Wordle hints).
- These sources are not affiliated with the New York Times and may contain spoilers.
How to use hints without spoiling the puzzle
- Start with the official NYT review for a gentle nudge rather than a direct answer.
- Use a hint that reveals the first letter or a common letter pattern.
- If you’re stuck, try a word that uses all five vowels plus common consonants like R, S, T, N.
Third-party hint sites are a double-edged sword: they can save your streak, but they also risk spoiling the puzzle’s joy of discovery. The NYT officially recommends using its own Wordle Review for a spoiler-free experience.
What Are the Other NYT Games Like Wordle?
Connections
- Connections requires grouping 16 words into four categories based on common threads (NYT Connections).
- It’s a daily word association puzzle that tests lateral thinking.
Quordle
- Quordle is a four-word variant of Wordle where players solve four five-letter words simultaneously (Wikipedia).
- It’s a popular third-party game, not owned by NYT, but often played alongside Wordle.
Spelling Bee and Letter Boxed
- Spelling Bee challenges players to form words from a set of seven letters (NYT Spelling Bee).
- Letter Boxed requires connecting letters on a square to form words without repeating sides.
Strands
- Strands is a newer NYT word search puzzle that combines theme words with a hidden connection.
- It’s part of the NYT Games subscription alongside Wordle.
The implication: NYT Games has built a steady lineup of daily puzzles that reward different kinds of thinking — from spatial reasoning in Letter Boxed to vocabulary in Spelling Bee. Wordle remains the anchor, but the ecosystem is growing.
How to Use Wordle Unlimited and Other Variants?
What is Wordle Unlimited?
- Wordle Unlimited is a third-party website that offers unlimited practice puzzles (Wordle Unlimited).
- It is not affiliated with the New York Times and uses a different word list.
Differences from the official NYT version
- Unlimited: no daily cap — play as many puzzles as you want.
- Word list: may include British spellings, plurals, or past tense verbs that NYT excludes.
- No streak tracking, no sharing, and no official support.
Other popular Wordle clones
- Absurdle: an adversarial version that changes the word after each guess (Absurdle).
- Dordle: two words at once.
- Octordle: eight words simultaneously.
- Squabble: a battle royale Wordle with real-time opponents.
Third-party clones are great for practice, but they don’t protect your NYT streak. If you care about the official leaderboard, stick to the NYT version for your daily fix and use clones only for extra practice.
What’s Clear and What’s Not
Confirmed facts
- Wordle was created by Josh Wardle and acquired by NYT in 2022 for over $1 million (Britannica).
- The game uses a 5-letter word with 6 attempts and color feedback (Wikipedia).
- Daily puzzles are released at midnight local time (NYT Help Center).
- NYT Wordle uses American English spelling and a curated list of 2,309 possible answers (Wikipedia).
What’s unclear
- Exact number of daily players — NYT only says “millions.” (YouTube: Wordle Game – The New York Times | How to Play)
- Whether NYT will eventually put Wordle behind a subscription — the company has not ruled it out (Business Insider).
- Technical details of the answer list update cadence are not publicly disclosed.
What the Experts Say
“Wordle, which gives players six tries to guess a five-letter mystery word, will join New York Times Games’s portfolio of original, engaging puzzle games that delight and challenge solvers every day.”
“The company said the game would initially remain free to new and existing players.”
— The New York Times (business article)
“The game, created by Josh Wardle, will initially continue to be free to play.”
For the millions of daily Wordle players, the choice is clear: embrace the official NYT version for the streak and the community experience, or branch out to clones for unlimited practice. Either way, you’ll be guessing five letters — and that’s the whole point.
Frequently asked questions
How to change Wordle settings?
You can toggle Hard Mode in the settings menu (gear icon) on the NYT Wordle page. This forces you to reuse revealed letters.
Can I play previous Wordle puzzles?
No, the official NYT version only offers the current day’s puzzle. There is no archive of past puzzles.
How to get a Wordle streak?
Log in to your NYT account and complete the daily puzzle before midnight local time. Missing a day resets your streak.
What is the Wordle leaderboard?
NYT does not have a public leaderboard. Your streak and stats are visible only to you within your account.
How to play Wordle with friends?
Share your results grid (with spoilers hidden) via text, social media, or email. Friends can compare their own scores.
Is Wordle available in other languages?
Only the English version is official. Third-party clones exist for French, Spanish, German, and other languages.
What is the best strategy for Wordle?
Start with a word that has many common letters (e.g., CRANE, SLATE, AUDIO). Use the feedback to narrow down possibilities.
How to use the NYT Games app for Wordle?
Download the NYT Games app from the App Store or Google Play. Wordle appears alongside Connections, Spelling Bee, and more.
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