KOCHI: The internet has turned on its head. That’s what someone would think due to the current buzz around the new online sensation: Wordle. On Twitter, users tweet their daily Wordle achievements with the bright green, yellow and grey tiles. The “spoiler-free emoji grid,” as the creator Josh Wardle puts it, is the internet’s one of the most well-kept secrets. Much to the astonishment of everyone, the technology savvy, virtual-reality rich video games have taken a slight step back in front of this simple guessing game.
That’s right. Wordle is a guessing game where a player has to find a five-letter word in six tries. No initial clues are avialable. One just has to start playing on the 5x6 matrix. There are no prompts, no clue, just the blank matrix in front of the gamer. The player has to plunge in and strategically make their first guess. The colours of the tiles that change according to the letters are the only clues available. If the letter is wrong, the tile will turn grey. If it is correct and is in the wrong position, the tile will turn yellow. And if the letter is right and in the right position, you get a green tile.
You can make a second guess, according to the clues. Place the letter on the green tile at the same position. Try to shift the letter from yellow tile to another position. And never again use the one from the grey tile. All you have to do is guess the word in six tries. Easy, right?
In a world that is constantly searching for the next “it” thing like the latest model of iPhone, Wordle is a breath of fresh air that Wardle has promised to preserve. When everyone competes, including tech giants to the next quirky influencer, Wordle is a contradiction. If you’ve completed the puzzle of the day, you have nothing to do but wait 24 hours for the next one.
And Wardle, a software engineer, is not that pleased with the popularity of the game. Going viral was not something he anticipated or looked forward to. As whimsical and quirky the game sounds, the story behind it is sweeter. It was a romantic gift for Wardle’s partner. He shared the website with her, where the English language lover could play the game once a day. It was released to the public in October and within months, took over the internet. In November, the game was used by some hundred people. And according to Wardle himself, by January the number has crossed 300,000. Now millions of tweets have appeared on Twitter, the platform responsible for the game’s explosive popularity.
The game is free for every player and doesn’t have any ads or promotions on the website. It’s an ideal space for any to spend some minutes while racking their brain guessing a five-letter word. As the popularity grew, imitations of the game have also appeared on the internet. The most worthy mentions are Absurdle with unlimited guesses and words that get harder with each successful try and Queerdle which makes you guess very NSFW (not suitable for work) words.
Internet is also abuzz with the best strategy to play Wordle. Some have painstakingly done mathematical calculations to reach the most probable and apt first guesses. American video gamer Tyler Glaiel says the most optimal guess is ROATE. The game has offered everyone a chance to love simple things. Without flashy interfaces, special effects, innumerable options, Wordle has taken over the world with its green and yellow tiles.
Where to play: https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/