What’s your favorite five-letter word? The newest internet fad takes form in the online word puzzle game Wordle. The game is simple: guess the five-letter word within six tries. With each word you guess, you get clues as to which letters are a part of the correct answer. Green letters mean that it is in the correct spot, yellow means it is in the word, but the wrong place, and grey means that it is not in the word at all. 

Sounds easy, right? While it should be simple on paper, the act of guessing the correct word tends to get tricky. Some people have come up with strategies, picking five-letter words that have a majority of vowels or common consonants to help with clues to get the winning word. 

So, how did Wordle come to be? The creator of the game, Josh Wardle (yes, Wordle is a play on Wardle’s last name,) created the game for him and his partner to play as the two of them got into playing the New York Times daily crossword puzzle and Spelling Bee.

The game became a hit in Wardle’s office with his coworkers playing every day, which inspired him to make the game public in Oct. of 2021. The popularity of the game skyrocketed in Dec. of 2021, and has only grown since. 

How long will this craze go on? It’s truly hard to say. The game itself resets every day, with a new word being chosen to keep the game fresh and a unique experience each time.

With the recent purchase of the game by the New York Times, we do not know what the future holds for Wordle. In the meantime, however, it is safe to say that Wordle has squeezed its way into the daily routine of all who cherish word games.