People across the world wake up, or stay up until midnight, with one thing on their mind: the new Wordle of the day.
The online game is simple. You have six guesses to figure out that day's five-letter secret word. If a letter turns green, it means you guessed that letter correctly and it is located in the right spot. A yellow tile means the letter is in the word but is located elsewhere. And if it turns grey, it's back to the drawing board.
The user interface matches the game's simplicity. The website is plain, with no ads or graphics popping up to spoil the fun. And since there's only one word a day, fans have to make the most of it.
As the game has spiked in popularity over the last few months, resulting in a seven-figure purchase of the game by The New York Times, so has interest in similar word puzzles. Spin off websites have popped up across the web, each adding a unique twist or theme to the game.
With a little something for everyone, here are 16 alternative games similar to Wordle:
Absurdle
Wordle was famously created by Josh Wardle for his partner, who loves puzzles. So if Wordle was created for a kind and loving purpose, Absurdle is more like its evil twin.
Absurdle is an "adversarial" version of the game, invented by a coder under the alias qntm. In Wordle, the game identifies one word from its word bank which the player then has to guess. In Absurdle, the game aims to last as long as possible by using each of your guesses against you. The algorithm finds a group of secret words from it's more than 2,000-word bank with as few similarities to your guess. To win, you have to "chase Absurdle into a corner" to the point where there is only one possible secret word left, according to the game's methodology.
Crosswordle
In Crosswordle, players must figure out two related words and how they intersect in a crossword format in as few guesses as possible. If you get a yellow result, the letter could be in either of the secret words, providing an extra challenge.
Custom Wordle
While this option isn’t for people hoping to tease their brain with more puzzles, this alternative allows you to turn into the code master and stump your friends. This game allows users to enter a word of any length, then, it produces a shareable link to a version of the classic Wordle game for others to play.
Dordle
Consider Dordle a form of Wordle for multitaskers. Instead of solving one puzzle, players have to solve two, simultaneously. Every guess applies to both secret words, meaning your brain has to work double time to decode two mysteries. If this sounds tough, don't worry, instead of six guesses, Dordle offers seven.
Heardle
Did pride yourself on your "SongPop" abilities? If so, Heardle — a Worlde version for the musically minded — will likely appeal to you. Players have to guess a song using only sounds from the intro. The faster you guess the song, the higher your score. If you get it in the opening second, you automatically win bragging rights.
Hello Wordl
Hello Wordl operates just like the original game with one exception: players can choose the length of the secret word they want to guess. Potential mystery words range from four to 11 letters long, so players can test the limits of their vocabulary beyond words that are just five letters.
Lewdle
If the only five-letter words you can find yourself thinking of are laced with profanity, Lewdle might be for you. Lewdle uses a bank of only lewd terms for players to guess from. The game only accepts crude terms, but there is an option for "sheltered mode," which will accept non-vulgar guesses.
Lordle of the Rings
Lordle of the Rings is one example of a fandom-based Wordle alternative, requiring players to bring both their best guesses and knowledge of Tolkien vocabulary. Possible mystery words and accepted answers are terms and names from the main text of "The Lord of the Rings."
Nerdle
If word puzzles aren't your thing, Nerdle swaps letters for numbers. In this game, players try and guess an eight-figure mathematical equation using a mix of numbers and symbols. The calculation must be true for the site to register your guess. And forget the cumulative property you learned in middle school. Order matters here, meaning in this game, 10+20=30 will not suffice if the answer is 20+10=30.
Phoodle
Food lovers, this one is for you. Martha Stewart is a fan of this guessing game, which has exclusively food-related words.
She posted an Instagram raving about the game, which launched in May 2022. “If you want a new word game to play, and who does not!, try https://Phoodle.net,” she wrote. “Live today. lots of fun especially if you love food!!!!!!”
Queerdle
The self-titled "yassification of Wordle," Queerdle features a new word each day that varies between four and eight letters in length, but is always related to LGBTQ+ culture and community. The game was created by Jordan Bouvier, who recently told Xtra Magazine that the project was an extension of the experience of making friends through the Internet.
“For me, this is my one chance a day to have a little bit of fun and a little bit of levity,” they said.
Quordle
If guessing one word is too easy and Dordle's option to guess two words at once still isn't enough of a challenge, there's always Quordle. With Quordle, players have nine guesses to guess four words simultaneously. If successful, winners get to brag to friends with a completed board made up of four times the number of green squares.
Star Wordle
If "darth" or "vader" are go-to first-guess words for you, give Star Wordle a try. The secret words for this alternative game features terms and names related to the Star Wars franchise and fan culture. Example words from the game's instructions include "saber" and "grogu."
Subwaydle
If you consider yourself an expert of the New York subway system, test your public transportation prowess with Subwaydle. Players have six tries to guess a valid subway trip that involves three trains to get from one destination to another. For example, Friday's puzzle asks players to get from Jefferson Avenue to Wall Street in two transfers.
Taylordle
Taylordle is a Taylor Swift-centric spin on the traditional game, where the secret word always hearkens back to the “Swiftie universe.” Previous secret words have been song titles, such as “Style” and “Peace,” or have been references to people associated with her such as “Alywn,” the last name of her current boyfriend.
This version of the game was created by the Holy Swift Podcast, which dissects Taylor Swift’s discography song by song.
Wizarding Wordle
Ideal for fans of the "Harry Potter" franchise, Wizarding Wordle is a "magical" spin on the game. Potential words include names, spells and other five-letter words that can be found in the pages or on the screen of a "Harry Potter" book or film.
Worldle
If geography is one of your passions, Worldle might be for you. Even though there is only one extra letter separating the name of Worldle from the original, gameplay differs significantly. Instead of guessing five-letter words, players have six tries to correctly name a country based on its shape. After each guess, instead of yellow and green tiles, players will get three pieces of information: how far away their guess is from the answer, the direction of the target country relative to their guess and the percent proximity of the guess to the answer.
Wordle Unlimited
If you truly just want more than one Wordle puzzle to solve each day, Wordle Unlimited is a platform with the same rules as the original that allows players to try and figure out a mystery word again and again.
