Wordle — It Is Simply The Best
And I’ll Hear No Argument Otherwise
Wordle is the best and I won’t hear arguments otherwise. It’s the best word game to come along in a long time. It’s the best motivator to stay connected to friends and family while talking about the game. It’s the best connection to the expansive fanbase on Twitter who also love to share their green, yellow, and grey emoji grid results.
And… it’s the best phase of the pandemic so far.
Wordle Is The Best Word Game In A Long Time
I’ve been an avid crossword attempter — aka rarely complete them — for a long time now. My family and I get the Sunday paper and I look forward to grabbing the Variety section, flipping to the last page, folding it on itself, and getting started on the puzzles.
There’s something immensely satisfying about word games — or puzzles for that matter. I find myself taking hits of endorphins at every answer I can glean from the mundane and cryptic clues in crosswords.
I relish getting a closed box, or complete row or column, in Sodoku.
And those times when you complete the game, the satisfaction is so rewarding.
The same could be said for The Spelling Bee from The New York Times. If you’re not familiar, it’s a grid-style game with letters in the shape of a 7-letter honeycomb.
In the game, you need to find as many words as you can that use the middle letter. The stipulations are that the word has to be at least 4-letters, but it can repeat any letter as necessary.
The longer the word, the more points it is worth. If you can find a word with all the letters that’s a Pangram and it’s worth the maximum amount of points per word.
There is a truly dedicated community that chimes in on the comments section of each post. And the points are broken down optimistically, so if you get the highest number of points, the game awards you the title of Genius. Naturally, the only topper to that is if you get all words, you earn the title of Queen Bee. I’ve accomplished this once.
As fun and gratifying as those game victories are, nothing compares to Wordle.
Let’s Talk Wordle
The backstory is Wordle is a really wonderful thing, which you can read here, and it is certainly a big reason why the game is as great as it is.
But, Wordle succeeds because of its simplicity, which is what makes it endearing and challenging.
As its most basic, it's a game about guessing a 5-letter word in 6 tries with hints. But with literally thousands of 5-letter words possible, the game feels seemingly endless. Everyone who plays the game gets the same word on the same day. It's fair and it's equitable for every player. No one has an advantage. And more times than not, it can be completed in just a few minutes.
There are strategies to consider:
- Do you start with the same word every game?
- Go for a vowel-heavy first word?
- Analog approach and write out options? Use Scrabble tiles to try combinations?
But what if you play on hard mode — or if you play hard mode, but without actually turning it on?
Now you’ve got to consider your second and third guesses with possible clues. What if you don’t get any clues on your first guess? Or worse, your second or third?
What if you don’t get any greens for the first few guesses? (Like in puzzle #223 when I didn’t get a green until my fourth word.)
And then, of course, the best part of Wordle is its social nature. The brilliance of the emoji grid is that it reveals your thought process without ruining the game for anyone else.
I am currently a part of four different text groups that share their Wordle results every morning. Three of those groups have added Wordle to their name.
Its become routine after nearly a month of playing. Make coffee. Play Wordle.
I look forward to it every morning, I look forward to sharing the results, cheering the success of those who get a 2, sharing the agony of a 6, marveling at the patterns that emerge.
We’ve taken to titling the grids when they look like something.
It is a game that has taken over Twitter for nearly a month, it’s a constant in the news, stories (hey, like this one!) about the game, about the trend, about the process, etc.
Will it come to an end? Who cares — it brings joy and a challenge, so let this wave ride as long as it can.
Wordle Is The Best Phase of the Pandemic
This brings us to its place in time, amidst the end of Pandemic Year Two.
A recent tweet popped up and chronicled the phases of the pandemic.
I’d argue a few key phases were missed like: toilet paper hoarding, flour and baking supply shortages, washing your groceries with soap — which were all early eras.
But, Wordle is absolutely the latest — and greatest — of the eras we’ve experienced so far.
It has been a welcome distraction during Omicron, during tough winter months for many when outdoor activities are limited for much of the United States.
And unlike most of the previous phases, this one is pleasant and it bridges lines across any political spectrum, any vaccine yes or no battle, it doesn’t matter. It’s a game and it’s fun.
So, thank you to creator Josh Wardle. You gave everyone something they didn’t know they needed — a way to connect and forget about life for just a bit, even if you didn’t intend for that to happen.
Get out there and Wordle, and have a great day.
