What is Wordle? Rules, strategy and everything you need to know (2023)

By Marc McLaren

last updated

The Wordle phenomenon is still going. Here's what you need to know

What is Wordle? Rules, strategy and everything you need to know (1)

Jump to:

  • The basics
  • Strategy
  • Wordle alternatives

It's now over a year since Wordle exploded onto our phones as the biggest puzzle phenomenon since, well, ever. In that time, it has garnered millions of daily players, inspired countless headlines, been bought by the New York Times, and endured multiple controversies.

So, what is Wordle as we enter 2023? Is it still a fun way to spend a few minutes, or something much bigger?

We'll attempt to answer that below, as well as explaining what the Wordle rules are, what makes the best Wordle start words, what WordleBot is, and much more. And if you just want some hints for the latest game, then check out our Wordle today page for clues and the answer.

What is Wordle?: The basics

What is Wordle?

Wordle is a simple game in which you have to guess a new five-letter word each day. You get six guesses, learning a little more information with each guess, and eventually narrow your guesses down to find the answer. Or at least that's the theory – because while it is a simple game at heart, it's sometimes surprisingly tricky to find the solution. More on that below.

It's played online via the Wordle website (opens in new tab) or the New York Times' Crossword app (iOS (opens in new tab) / Android (opens in new tab)), and is entirely free – though you can pay to access the NYT's WordleBot helper tool. There's also been speculation that the game itself will eventually go behind a paywall, but so far the NYT has resisted the urge to scratch that potentially lucrative itch.

Crucially, the answer is the same for everyone each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world, rather than just against yourself or the game. The puzzle then resets each day at midnight in your local time, giving you a new challenge, and the chance to extend your streak.

Ah yes, streaks…

What is Wordle? Rules, strategy and everything you need to know (2)

(Video) HOW TO PLAY WORDLE! The Word Game Going Viral | How To Play and Strategies to Win!

What are Wordle streaks?

Wordle tracks your games via the browser or app, and gives you a running score of your wins and losses. Each time you win, you'll be extending your Wordle streak.

Lose a game and your streak resets to zero, of course. What's more, if you miss a day, your streak also resets – so if you won 100 games straight, then missed a day, then won your next game, you'd have a streak of 1, not 101. Unfair? Maybe – but it certainly keeps you playing.

One potential issue here is if you're traveling. Some people have lost their streak through playing in another time zone, so be careful out there.

Why is it important? Well, avid Wordlers get very protective of their streaks. It's a badge of honor or a sign of commitment – and something to brag about if you're that way inclined.

What are the Wordle rules?

The rules of Wordle are pretty straightforward, but with a couple of curveballs thrown in for good measure.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow.

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray.

4. Answers are never plural.

5. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

6. Each guess must be a valid word in Wordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

7. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses unless you play on Hard mode.

8. You have six guesses to solve the Wordle.

9. You must complete the daily Wordle before midnight in your timezone.

10. All answers are drawn from Wordle's list of 2,309 solutions. However…

11. Wordle will accept a wider pool of words as guesses – some 10,000 of them. For instance, you can guess a plural such as WORDS. It definitely won't be right (see point 4 above), but Wordle will accept it as a guess.

12. You must guard your streak like a dog guards a bone.

What are all those funny yellow and green squares on Twitter?

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you'll have come across grids of yellow and green squares on your social media platform of choice. These are Wordle results, and they're really quite clever.

Because everyone plays the same game, you can't simply share the answer on social media without spoiling everyone else's fun. So instead, the Share button creates a spoiler-free overview of how your game went, without actually revealing the letters you used. The result: you can dazzle people with your linguistic brilliance without giving the answer away.

Of course if you know someone else's start word, the Wordle grid may still give you some pretty hefty clues - so for the ultimate challenge you'll still want to stay off Twitter and other platforms until you've completed the day's puzzle.

Do you need an account to play Wordle?

Not really - but you might want one anyway. Wordle tracks your progress through your web browser, so it'll retain your stats so long as you don't clear your cache. If you do that, you might find your streak and wins percentages reset to zero.

That reliance on the cache also means that if you play Wordle in one browser on your laptop (Chrome, say) then use a different one on your phone (maybe Safari), your progress won't be stored.

(Video) The best Wordle strategy – according to science

The solution is to create a free NYT account. This will store your stats across devices and browsers, theoretically keeping your streak safe wherever you play. Although the note above about different time zones still applies.

Is Wordle free?

Yes! Wordle the game itself is entirely free to play via the New York Times' website. As described above, you can choose to create a free account so that your progress is saved across devices, but there's no need to pay for an NYT subscription.

You can also play Wordle via the NYT Crossword app, and again it's free to do so - though you do have to subscribe if you want to complete the daily Crossword too.

As it stands, the only payment required for Wordle is if you choose to take out an NYT subscription in order to access WordleBot.

What is Wordle Hard mode?

Wordle Hard mode doesn't make the answer any more difficult, but it does make it harder to find. Here's how it works.

In Wordle Hard mode, any letters that you uncover have to be used in all subsequent guesses. For instance, if you guess TODAY and the T turns yellow, you have to include a T in your next guess. And if a letter turns green, you have to include it in the correct position in your next guess.

This can be a major problem in some games. One famous example (among Wordlers at least) was game #265, where the answer was WATCH. On Hard mode, once you had the -ATCH part uncovered in green, you would be forced to keep them in place for your other guesses. But with PATCH, LATCH, BATCH, MATCH, CATCH, HATCH and WATCH all being potential answers, you would have to get lucky with a guess; there are simply too many possibilities.

On normal mode, you could instead guess a word such as CHAMP. You'd know it wasn't right, but it would rule out (or in) four possible answers in one go: CATCH, HATCH, MATCH and PATCH.

Some people – myself included – think that Wordle Hard mode is a bit silly. My reasoning is that rather than making the game harder as such, it simply increases the role that luck plays. Then again, maybe I'm just a coward.

What is Wordle? Rules, strategy and everything you need to know (4)

Who made Wordle?

Wordle was created by Josh Wardle, a British software engineer based in Brooklyn. He's no stranger to developing internet sensations either, having previously come up with the brilliant Reddit projectsThe Button (opens in new tab) andPlace (opens in new tab).

Wardle – who named the game after himself, obviously – created Wordle for his puzzle-loving partner. He'd created a prototype as long ago as 2013, but it wasn't until the pandemic that he completed the game we now know and love, and shared it with his family and a few friends.

Unleashed onto the wider internet in October 2021, it exploded in popularity over the next couple of months, growing from a handful of users to several hundred thousand by early January, and to more than two million by the end of that month.

Impressed by its success, The New York Times bought Wordle for a "six-figure sum" in February 2022. Not bad for a lockdown project, eh?

What is WordleBot?

WordleBot is a digital tool built by the NYT to help players master Wordle. It analyses your most recent game, giving you pointers when you screw up and (occasionally) offering praise when you do something clever.

Think of it as a kind of Wordle coach and you won't be far wrong. While it won't give you the answer (you can only use it once you've finished your daily game) it will suggest start words to try, and will provide you with strategies that might help in the future.

As well as rating your game, WordleBot is packed with data that you might find interesting. For instance, it will tell you what the average score is per game across everyone who plays, and what the most popular start words are on a given day.

Unfortunately, it's no longer free: the NYT put WordleBot behind a paywall last year, shortly after it launched. You can access it with a New York Times All Access subscription (opens in new tab), which currently costs $1.25/week for the first year, then $6.25/week thereafter.

What is Wordle? Rules, strategy and everything you need to know (5)

Is Wordle still worth playing in 2023?

Undoubtedly! The New York Times purchase didn't get off to the best start, with some people losing their streaks in the handover, and many players convinced that the NYT immediately made it harder. It didn't, though: Wordle's answers were hard-coded into the game when Josh Wardle created it, with a different one assigned to each date. Though the NYT removed a few controversial words, and changed the order of a couple, it's essentially the exact same game that launched in 2021.

In fact, the NYT's influence has mainly been positive. The addition of a free account option gives players a way to save their progress across devices and makes it far less likely that streaks will be lost. It remains free to play and mostly free of ads. Yes, you can pay for WordleBot and yes, you will be pushed towards trying other NYT games such as Spelling Bee, but overall Wordle seems to be in safe hands.

Beyond the NYT takeover, Wordle continues to provide millions of people with a fun five-minute breather from the hectic pace of daily life. The numbers playing it may have declined slightly, but as our US Editor in Chief, Lance Ulanoff, wrote late last year, Wordle is steadily becoming an institution, a daily ritual that many people enjoy simply for the connection it gives them to family and friends.

If you've been playing for a while you'll know all that of course; and if not, there's no reason why you can't start today.

(Video) How To Win At Wordle Every Time

Wordle strategy

Wordle start words

What is Wordle? Rules, strategy and everything you need to know (6)

Start words are a crucial part of the Wordle experience, and choosing the right one can be the difference between scoring an excellent 2/6 or a hair-raising 6/6.

A vast amount has been written on the subject of what the best start words are, with mathematicians, data scientists, and other smart people weighing in on the subject at great length.

WordleBot's favored choice right now is SLATE, although it used to be CRANE. It awards both a 99 skill rating (its top mark), but SLANT, TRACE, CARTE and CRATE all earn the same score.

Other sources have suggested the likes of SOARE, ROATE and RAISE, while some people prefer to play a start word with lots of vowels such as ADIEU, AUDIO or OUIJA.

Whichever you pick, your start word is vital, pointing you in the direction of the answer, and ruling out hundreds or even thousands or potential solutions in one go. With that in mind, I suggest you check out our best Wordle start words guide as soon as you can.

Wordle tips and tricks

What is Wordle? Rules, strategy and everything you need to know (7)

Playing Wordle is easy, but mastering Wordle is hard. We've got a separate guide to how to win at Wordle, but here are a few things to bear in mind:

1. Play vowels early

Vowels help to define the sound and structure of a word, so you'll want to identify them as early as possible. You should probably include at least two in your start word – probably A and E, as they are by far the most common. Depending on what happens on that first go, you'll then want to rule out O and I soon after; U is less common. Don't forget Y, either – it sometimes acts as a vowel, for instance in words such as GLYPH or NYMPH, which don't contain any of the standard five vowels.

2. Play common consonants early

This is pretty obvious too, but there's far more chance that the answer will contain a T, R or L than an X, Z or Q. Use the most common letters early and you'll have a better chance of success.

3. Don't repeat a letter until you need to

Repeat letters do crop up in Wordle pretty often – think the double-O in BLOOD or FLOOD, or the double L in SKILL or SHALL. They don't always go together, either – PIXIE, which was the answer a few days ago (game #569) has two Is, and BELIE (#566) has two Es. That said, you probably want to hold off on including a repeat letter until you have a good idea that there is one. Wordle is all about information really, and guessing as many new letters as possible will generally give you more of it than repeating one of them.

4. Don't rush!

Sometimes you'll think you know what the answer is on the second guess and triumphantly play it… only to find that you'd forgotten another 10 possibilities, and are now staring down the barrel of a 4/6 score or worse. Take your time. Think through the options. Even use a notepad if it helps. (Or don't bother with all that and just play as you wish, it's your life!)

Can you cheat at Wordle?

Yes, you can cheat at Wordle. But really, you'll be cheating yourself. Come on, it's word game that takes about five minutes to play - is it really worth losing all your self-respect over that?

Assuming your answer to that is "yes," then there are a few obvious ways to cheat at Wordle and ensure you keep your streak even if it's teetering on the edge. Our Wordle cheats article goes into detail on the main methods, but in short:

  1. Play in incognito mode. Your browser won't update, so you can play and lose repeatedly until you get the answer right, then switch to your actual account and score a 1/6.
  2. Use a crossword solver. These can give you options for the letters you have and help you narrow down the possibilities ahead of your guess. No more wracking your brains for a five-letter word that starts with C, ends with T and has an A in the middle.

Past answers

Remembering previous Wordle solutions can definitely help you win each new game by narrowing down the options you have left.

However, with 587 games now completed and a new one coming daily, it's no easy task to recall every previous answer. To help you out, here are the past 50 answers, not counting today's.

  • Wordle #586, Thursday 26 January: BEEFY
  • Wordle #585, Wednesday 25 January: MAIZE
  • Wordle #584, Tuesday 24 January: COUNT
  • Wordle #583, Monday 23 January: ELUDE
  • Wordle #582, Sunday 22 January: MATEY
  • Wordle #581, Saturday 21 January: BLURB
  • Wordle #580, Friday 20 January: ALTER
  • Wordle #579, Thursday 19 January: MUCKY
  • Wordle #578, Wednesday 18 January: CHARD
  • Wordle #577, Tuesday 17 January: ADOPT
  • Wordle #576, Monday 16 January: FROCK
  • Wordle #575, Sunday 15 January: SPIRE
  • Wordle #574, Saturday 14 January: KOALA
  • Wordle #573, Friday 13 January: HUMAN
  • Wordle #572, Thursday 12 January: LEAPT
  • Wordle #571, Wednesday 11 January: SEDAN
  • Wordle #570, Tuesday 10 January: GRIMY
  • Wordle #569, Monday 9 January: PIXIE
  • Wordle #568, Sunday 8 January: OPERA
  • Wordle #567, Saturday 7 January: LEMON
  • Wordle #566, Friday 6 January: BELIE
  • Wordle #565, Thursday 5 January: SLEEK
  • Wordle #564, Wednesday 4 January: LAYER
  • Wordle #563, Tuesday 3 January: ANTIC
  • Wordle #562, Monday 2 January: SKIRT
  • Wordle #561, Sunday 1 January: WHINE
  • Wordle #560, Saturday 31 December: MANLY
  • Wordle #559, Friday 30 December: MOLAR
  • Wordle #558, Thursday 29 December: HAVOC
  • Wordle #557, Wednesday 28 December: IMPEL
  • Wordle #556, Tuesday 27 December: CONDO
  • Wordle #555, Monday 26 December: JUDGE
  • Wordle #554, Sunday 25 December: EXTRA
  • Wordle #553, Saturday 24 December: POISE
  • Wordle #552, Friday 23 December: AORTA
  • Wordle #551, Thursday 22 December: EXCEL
  • Wordle #550, Wednesday 21 December: LUNAR
  • Wordle #549, Tuesday 20 December: THIRD
  • Wordle #548, Monday 19 December: SLATE
  • Wordle #547, Sunday 18 December: TAPER
  • Wordle #546, Saturday 17 December: CHORD
  • Wordle #545, Friday 16 December: PROBE
  • Wordle #544, Thursday 15 December: RIVAL
  • Wordle #543, Wednesday 14 December: USUAL
  • Wordle #542, Tuesday 13 December: SPOKE
  • Wordle #541, Monday 12 December: APPLY
  • Wordle #540, Sunday 11 December: NAIVE
  • Wordle #539, Saturday 10 December: KNOCK
  • Wordle #538, Friday 9 December: BRAID
  • Wordle #537, Thursday 8 December: INFER

Wordle alternatives

What is Wordle? Rules, strategy and everything you need to know (8)

(Video) The Wordle Crash Course: Tips for Everyone

The success of Wordle spawned literally hundreds of Wordle alternatives and clones, ranging from straight-up rip-offs to super-smart variations that brought something new to the party.

Most share the key Wordle characteristics such as

  • Single daily challenge
  • Limited number of guesses
  • Information revealed slowly as the game progresses
  • Spoiler-free social sharing
  • Free online play

Those basics aside, many of the games don't have much in common at all, so which ones you play will depend on your own interests. Here are a few of our favorites:

1. Heardle (like Wordle but for music)

2. Lewdle (like Wordle but rude)

3. Taylordle (like Wordle but for Taylor Swift fans)

4. Semantle (like Wordle but for meanings not spellings)

5. Scholardle (like Wordle but with really obscure words)

There are also geography-themed versions, math-themed versions, soccer-themed versions, Marvel-themed versions, movie-themed versions, and many more. We're also big fans of the x-Wordles-at-once clones, such as Duordle, Quordle and Octordle, and the battle royale-style Squabble. We've rounded up some of our favorites in our games like Wordle feature.

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What is Wordle? Rules, strategy and everything you need to know (9)

Marc McLaren

(Video) How To Play Wordle: The New Game That’s Taking The Internet By Storm

UK Editor in Chief

Marc is TechRadar’s UK Editor in Chief, the latest in a long line of senior editorial roles he’s held in a career that started the week that Google launched (nice of them to mark the occasion). Prior to joining TR, he was UK Editor in Chief on Tom’s Guide, where he oversaw all gaming, streaming, audio, TV, entertainment, how-to and cameras coverage. He's also a former editor of the tech website Stuff and spent five years at the music magazine NME, where his duties mainly involved spoiling other people’s fun. He’s based in London, and has tested and written about phones, tablets, wearables, streaming boxes, smart home devices, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, games, TVs, cameras and pretty much every other type of gadget you can think of. An avid photographer, Marc likes nothing better than taking pictures of very small things (bugs, his daughters) or very big things (distant galaxies). He also enjoys live music, gaming, cycling, and beating Wordle (he authors the daily Wordle clues page).

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FAQs

What are your Wordle tips and tricks your answer? ›

To solve Wordle as efficiently as possible, try words that include the letters e, t, a, i, o, n, s, h, and r; these are the most common letters in English. Another great trick is to begin with words that start with the letters t, a, o, d, and w; as again, these are the most common starting letters in English.

What is the easiest way to solve Wordle? ›

Starting with a word that has common letters is a good approach, because it lets you quickly eliminate many words: If you pick a word with the most common letters and one or more of those common letters is not in the solution, then you have identified a large number of impossible solutions.

What are the 3 best words to start with in Wordle? ›

If, on the other hand, you're simply trying to win within the allotted six guesses, the top three words to play are “adept,” “clamp” and “plaid.” Using any of these three words will yield an average success rate in winning the game of 98.79 percent, 98.75 percent, and 98.75 percent, respectively, if you're playing the ...

What is the best first word for Wordle? ›

Sorry Bill Gates, but AUDIO isn't the best word to start with when you're playing Wordle. A pair of MIT researchers recently set out to find the optimal starting word for the popular online puzzle, discovering that the statistically superior first guess is SALET, which is a 15th century helmet.

What are the 5 words for Wordle? ›

Here are the 5 "Magic" Words that will help you solve Wordle more often than not. "Derby, flank, ghost, winch, jumps."

What are the best 5-letter words for Wordle? ›

11 unusual 5-letter words to kick off your next Wordle game
  • ADIEU. Adieu means the same as goodbye. ...
  • TARES. Any of various vetch plants, such as Vicia hirsuta (hairy tare) of Eurasia and North Africa.
  • SOARE. ...
  • DUCAT. ...
  • OUIJA. ...
  • CAROM. ...
  • ERGOT. ...
  • CRAIC.
Feb 1, 2022

What are the 5 most common letters in 5 letter words? ›

This means the top most commonly used letters in 5-letter words (in terms of total frequency as well as average frequency) were the letters A, E, S, O, R, I, L, T, etc.

Is there a perfect Wordle strategy? ›

In Wordle, an optimal strategy means avoiding repeating letters as much as possible. Instead of rushing to try to guess the actual solution on your second try, an ideal second word would repeat no letters from your first guess.

Is solving Wordle in 3 tries good? ›

If you can consistently get Wordle in three guesses, you are pretty darn good. A score of three is solidly above average, and it is certainly nothing to frown at. Especially with harder words such as “cynic,” “vivid,” or “swill,” getting it in three is very good.

What is the most common first letter in Wordle? ›

You may intuitively know that the most common starting letter for a daily Wordle is "S". What you may not know is how common it is. Roughly 18% of the possible Wordle answers start with "S".

What is a good second word for Wordle? ›

The best second word is “PLUTO

In theory, Wordle doesn't let you guess proper names, but “pluto” is fair game for some reason. This is a great second word, and I advise you to guess it then regardless of the outcome of your first word.

What are the odds of guessing Wordle on the first try? ›

Since there are 2,315 possible target words in Wordle, the probability that you will guess the target in exactly one try is 1/2315 = 0.000432.

What letter do most 5 letter words start with? ›

Unsurprisingly, Z, Q, J, and X consistently round out the bottom. As for the letters that begin the most English words, the top five are T, O, A, W, and B. For the end letter, the most common are E, S, T, D, and N.

What are the least used letters in Wordle? ›

The least common letters in all words are the usual suspects: J, Q, Z, X, and it's unlikely any five-letter Wordle word would contain any of those characters. F, V, and K are also uncommon, but these letters have higher odds of being in one of the five possible Wordle positions.

What are the most common letters in Wordle? ›

Over 15% of Wordle's words of the day start with S. Only six other starting letters appear in more than 5% of Wordle words. In order of frequency, they are C, B, T, P, A, and F. These starting letters might seem pretty surprising, but they are close to the order of general five-letter words.

How do you know if there are two of the same letter in Wordle? ›

If you try a word that shares duplicate letters with the answer, every instance of that letter will change color. For example, if you guess ”lever” and the answer is “eaten,” the first E in “lever” will turn yellow and the second one will turn green.

Can you use plurals in Wordle? ›

Wordle is a popular word-guessing game from the New York Times. Wordle, the popular word-guessing game from the New York Times, will no longer use plural words, according to an announcement made last week. Over the past year, tens of millions of people tried to guess the five-letter word of the day.

What is the average score on Wordle? ›

Wordle has 2,308 possible answers and 12,545 allowed guesses. The global average for solving Wordle is 4.016 guesses, with Sweden being the best country (3.72) and Egypt the worst (4.42).

What word has the most vowels? ›

Euouae, at six letters long, is the longest English word consisting only of vowels, and, also, the word with the most consecutive vowels.

What is the hardest 5 letter word? ›

1. Sesquipedalian. This word means 'long-winded' words, such as Sesquipedalian. It is a rarely used word that simply means long.

What 5 letter word has the most vowels for Wordle? ›

Five-letter words that contain four vowels include:
  • AUDIO.
  • AULOI.
  • AUREI.
  • LOUIE.
  • MIAOU.
  • OUIJA.
  • OURIE.
  • URAEI.
Sep 30, 2022

What is the best Wordle solver? ›

Here are five free helpers that just might be your best path to victory.
  1. Wordle Solver.
  2. Unwordle. ...
  3. Wordle Helper. ...
  4. Wordle Archive. ...
  5. OneLook. Our first free tool doesn't involve cheating, but it might offer just enough help to get you where you need to go. ...
Jan 12, 2022

What words have all 5 vowels? ›

Eunoia, at six letters long, is the shortest word in the English language that contains all five main vowels. Seven letter words with this property include adoulie, douleia, eucosia, eulogia, eunomia, eutopia, miaoued, moineau, sequoia, and suoidea.

What word has all vowels? ›

Frequently Asked Questions on Vowel Words

EUNOIA is the shortest word in English which has all five vowels.

What are the odds of getting Wordle on the second try? ›

While the figure of 6.5% assumes perfect play, if you're picking any reasonably sensible first guess, and then something consistent with that guess on your second try, your odds are still over 4%.

How long does the average person take to solve Wordle? ›

On average 95% of target words can be solved within 6 guesses with average game length is approximately 4 rounds.

Is it cheating to use pen and paper for Wordle? ›

Just no. If you need to CHEAT at a game you play on your own, there's something seriously WRONG with you. Using pen and paper to work it out offline is almost as bad. It's a BRAIN game, not a write-out-all-the-possible-solutions-until-you-get-it-right game.

Does everyone get the same answer in Wordle? ›

Is the Wordle solution the same for all players? Yes, the Wordle solution is the same for everyone each day.

What word does everyone start Wordle with? ›

Our 10 best starting words for Wordle
Guessed wordCorrect letters, on average
OATER/ORATE/ROATE1.789 1.789
REALO1.781 1.781
ALERT/ALTER/LATER1.778 1.778
IRATE/RETIA/TERAI1.778 1.778
6 more rows
Feb 3, 2022

What is the most common second letter in Wordle? ›

The most frequently used letter in the first position is “s”, while the most frequently used letter in the second or third position is “a”. The most frequently used letter in the fourth or fifth position is “e”. One strategy for our initial guess is to use a word that contains the most frequently used letters.

How many people guess Wordle on the first guess? ›

What percentage of people guess Wordle correctly? On average, Wordle players can guess the correct word on their first try in only 0.02% of games.

Has anyone solved Wordle in one try? ›

The odds get marginally better every subsequent game (e.g., 1 in 2,314; 1 in 2,313) assuming the correct answer isn't a repeat of the previous days' solutions. With that in mind, it's highly unlikely that 1% of all players are guessing correctly on the first try — and much more likely that some folks are cheating.

What are the rules for hard Wordle? ›

In normal Wordle, you can experiment with any word. However, in difficult mode, the hints revealed in your word (via colors) MUST be used in subsequent guesses. This means you can't just make up a new word to try out new letters. It has to be a word in which you used the hints from the previous guess.

What are the hidden rules in Wordle? ›

A hidden rule is that any of the letters can indeed end up being used in multiple spots (e.g. KNOLL). After each attempt, each letter in the guess will either turn: Green: it is in the word and in the correct spot. Yellow: it is in the word but not in the correct spot.

Does each guess in Wordle have to be a word? ›

In Wordle, because guesses and targets all have to be real words, some letters are more likely to appear, making some guesses better than others.

Can you use 2 letters twice in Wordle? ›

Yes, Wordle does allow repeat letters. Here are some recent examples of Wordle's answers: Wordle #291 — COMMA.

What is a good average score for Wordle? ›

Wordle in Four

Most people should, on average, get it in at least 4, even on days where it is harder. Especially if you aren't making risky moves, four guesses should supply you with enough information to make a correct guess.

How do you pass Wordle every time? ›

Beat Wordle Every Time: The Best 5-Letter Words & Tricks
  1. Start with a word that has 3, 4, or 5 vowels.
  2. Use your second try to confirm as many letters as possible.
  3. Try our cheat sheet of the best Wordle words.
  4. Learn the most common letters and their positions.
  5. Consider common letter pairings.
Nov 7, 2022

What does an asterisk mean in Wordle score? ›

If you post your results after playing in hard mode, they appear with a little asterisk. “This person played on HARD MODE,” the game tells all your friends, just to make sure that they know without your having to communicate it to them. It is the humblebrag of Wordle.

What happens if you don't guess the Wordle? ›

A skill score of zero is what you get if you just skipped a turn altogether. (While it's impossible to actually skip a turn in Wordle, you can get the same effect by guessing a word you've already guessed: You lose a turn and you don't learn anything new about the possible solution.)

What do the symbols at the bottom of Wordle mean? ›

The emoji squares approximate the Wordle game board, and show how a player reached — or didn't reach — the word of the day. Green emoji correspond to green tiles or correct letters in the correct position; yellow to correct letters in the incorrect position; and gray or black squares to incorrectly guessed letters.

What's the best 5-letter word to start Wordle with? ›

According to one analysis, the letter E appears most frequently in English-language words featured in a condensed version of the Oxford Dictionary, followed by A, R, I, O, T, N, and S. So starting words like “ratio,” “irate,” “stain,” or “stare” that include those commonly used letters are great options.

What word starts with no vowels in Wordle? ›

As pointed out by Reddit user GrilledChese44, Wordle players can guess the word "CWTCH" and it will count despite not having any vowels. For those who may not be familiar with the word, cwtch is a Welsh word that has a couple of different meanings.

How many 5 letter words are there in Wordle? ›

Let's initialize the game. As we can see, there are 12972 words of 5 letters in the Wordle dictionary.

What happens if you have two of the same letter in Wordle? ›

Keep in mind that Wordle tells you when a letter is not duplicated, too. If you use two of the same letter in a word, and only one of them turns yellow or green, then there is only one copy of that letter in the correct Wordle answer.

Can you have two letters in the same word in Wordle? ›

Yes, letters can repeat in Wordle. Previous Wordle answers have included “naval”, “evade”, “serve”, and “karma”. There are many more examples of past answers making use of words with repeating letters too, so it's a certainty that some future ones will also.

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