| Wordle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Josh Wardle |
| Publisher(s) | Josh Wardle (2021–2022) The New York Times Games (since 2022) |
| Platform(s) | Browser, Mobile app |
| Release | October 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Word game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Wordle is a web-based word game created and developed by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle. Players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, with feedback given for each guess in the form of coloured tiles indicating when letters match or occupy the correct position. Wordle has a single daily solution, with all players attempting to guess the same word. During 2023, Wordle was played 4.8 billion times.
Wardle created the game to play with his partner, eventually making it public in October 2021. The mechanics are similar to the 1955 pen-and-paper game Jotto and the television game show franchise Lingo. The game gained popularity in December 2021 after Wardle added the ability for players to copy their daily results as emoji squares, which were widely shared on Twitter. Many clones and variations of the game were also created, as were versions in languages besides English. Wordle was purchased by The New York Times Company in January 2022 for an undisclosed seven-figure sum and moved to the games section of The New York Times in February.