IT is the incredibly popular online game that has captivated puzzle fans all over the globe this year and now online sensation Wordle is taking a rather traditional step, by transforming into a board game.

 

Wordle is a worldwide hit?

Created by New York-based Welsh software developer, Josh Wardle, Wordle was a play on his surname and simply designed to keep his crossword-puzzle loving wife entertained during the pandemic. 

 

How does it work again?

Players have to guess a new five-letter word each day, but they only have six attempts to get it right. After each guess, they are told if letters are correct (they turn green); or wrong (they turn grey) or right, but in the wrong place (they turn yellow), steering them toward the solution.

 

It exploded in popularity?

When it launched online in October last year, just the Wardles played and then this grew to around 90 daily players in November, before this figure grew to 300,000 at the start of this year. Within weeks, millions were playing. The puzzle was quickly snapped up for an undisclosed seven-figure-sum by the New York Times and it now appears on the paper’s website.

 

So what’s happening now?

The New York Times is joining forces with games firm Hasbro to bring the puzzle to life in “Wordle: The Party Game”, saying it “delivers classic Wordle gameplay, but now in an all new way that is perfect for game night with friends and family”.

 

How will it work?

Players must compete in real life to solve the Wordle. In each round, a player designated as the Wordle Host writes down a secret word. Just like the original Wordle game, players have six attempts to guess a five letter word. But in this game, players are competing against others. The fewer tries a player needs, the fewer points they score. The player with the fewest points at the end of the game wins! Players can also switch up the gameplay with four different ways to Wordle: classic play, fast, timed, or teams.

 

So it’s showing no signs of slowing down?

It remains a puzzle sensation, but it is also credited with providing some unity in these past challenging months. Jonathan Knight, head of Games for The New York Times, said: “Wordle truly brought us all together and that’s what makes it so special. With each daily puzzle, we’re connected with friends and family through social play.”

 

It’s also inspired some copycats?

Many have tried to jump on to the back of Wordle’s success, with a range of similar concepts, including Worldle, which gives players six tries to guess a country or territory looking at the outline of its shape. The National Gallery of Art in the US created Artle as a copycat for art fans, while music lovers can play Heardle, which plays just the first beats of a song and asks users to guess what it could be. Thousands of French speakers are also now playing Sutom, inspired by Wordle, that is very similar, providing a blank grid, asking users to try and find a word of the day helped by a system of colour.