Wordle was created by Josh Wardle as a daily word puzzle designed for his partner during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The game quickly gained popularity after it was made publicly available on a website, growing from an initial 90 players to over two million active users. Wordle is designed around a simple premise: players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word each day. The game is intended to be quick, engaging, and accessible, without requiring financial investment or prolonged time commitments. In an interview with Newsweek, Wardle, being the creator of ‘Wordle’, has admitted that he does not consistently solve the puzzles in fewer attempts than the average player.
“Well, I did create Wordle, and I’m not very good at it, so there’s your answer! I’m afraid I’m not really the best,” says Josh Wardle.
Wordle winning tip by Josh Wardle
Wardle has described his reasons behind choosing to use five-letter words and give the solver six chances to solve the puzzle correctly. He has said that he tested various lengths and numbers of guesses while he was in the process of developing the game. After testing, he realised that the combination of a five-letter word with six chances to solve the puzzle correctly is optimal, so the puzzles are not too hard while at the same time making the solver feel a sense of accomplishment when they solve the puzzle correctly.
Wardle has said that he does not like to give hints on how to solve Wordle puzzles, since the beauty of the game is to let each person solve it on their own. However, Wardle has said one thing about solving Wordle puzzles. He has said that it is important not to just focus on the letters in the word, but also to think about which letters are not in the word, since this would allow the solver to systematically solve the puzzle. Making guesses to find the letters that are not in the word is helpful even when some letters in the word have already been correctly guessed.
How Josh Wardle created Wordle and why it became a global sensation
Josh Wardle developed Wordle as a personal project during the global lockdown period. He wanted to provide a shared activity that could entertain both himself and his partner, who both enjoy word and crossword puzzles. After creating the initial version, he hosted it publicly on a website. The game’s simplicity and daily puzzle format contributed to its rapid growth and popularity, eventually attracting millions of daily players. The accessibility of the game and its lack of monetisation options have been cited as key factors in its widespread appeal.
Although the puzzles are designed to be achievable, data indicate that most players require multiple attempts to guess the correct word. Analysis by Onlineslots.com suggests that only a small percentage of players guess the word on their first attempt, and approximately 25 per cent of users take four attempts before solving the puzzle. Wardle himself typically requires four to five attempts to solve the daily word, while his partner generally completes it in three guesses. The word list, which includes over 2,500 words, is randomised, meaning that Wardle does not have prior knowledge of the solution for each day’s puzzle.
