Wordle

What is NYT Wordle?

Wordle is the game that started the daily puzzle boom. Every day there is one hidden five-letter word, the same for everyone, and you have six guesses to find it. After each guess the tiles change colour to show which letters are in the word and which are already in the right spot. It takes a few minutes, which is exactly why it fits into a morning routine so easily. The real fun is in the strategy: do you open with the same starting word every day, or improvise? Because everyone solves the same word, Wordle is also a social game. Sharing your grid of coloured squares, without spoiling the answer, became its trademark. It was created by Josh Wardle in 2021 and bought by The New York Times in 2022, where it is still free to play daily.

How to play

1. Type any real five-letter word and press enter.
2. Green means right letter, right spot. Yellow means the letter is in the word but elsewhere. Grey means it isn't in the word.
3. Use what you learn to narrow it down. You have six guesses.

Quick facts

Typical time

2–5 min

Difficulty

Easy–medium

Price

Today's puzzle is free. The archive of past puzzles and the WordleBot analysis tool need a subscription.

Account

Not needed. A free New York Times account keeps your stats and streak across devices.

Past puzzles

For subscribers.

On a phone

In the browser, or in the NYT Games app for iPhone and Android.

Hard mode

An optional setting that makes you reuse every hint you've found.

Tips to get better

• Open with common letters. Pick a starting word such as SLATE, CRANE or RAISE. The letters E, A, R, S, T, L and N turn up in a huge share of answers.
• Use your second guess to explore. If the first word gives you little, play five completely new letters instead of shuffling the ones you have. Learning what isn't in the word is as useful as learning what is.
• Beware the one-letter trap. With _IGHT on the board you could guess LIGHT, MIGHT, NIGHT and SIGHT and still lose. Play one word that tests several of those first letters at once. (Hard mode doesn't allow this, which is what makes it hard.)
• Move your yellows. A yellow letter is in the word, but not in that spot. Always try it somewhere new on the next guess.
• Remember that letters can repeat. A green E doesn't rule out a second E. Words like SPEED and LLAMA catch people out.

Who it's for

Wordle is for everyone, which is why it took over the world. It asks for two minutes and gives you something to compare with friends and family. After a few months it can feel a bit samey, and some days come down to luck. If it's starting to feel too easy, switch on hard mode or move up to Quordle.