How to play
How to play Wordle
Wordle is the New York Times' daily word game. To play Wordle, guess the five-letter word in six tries. After each guess, every letter is marked: in the word and in the right place, in the word but somewhere else, or not in the word. Use what each guess tells you to make the next one.
- One word a day
- Six tries
- Five letters
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Five letters, six tries
You have six rows. Each guess must be a real five-letter word; press Enter and its letters are marked.
- ✓ Right
Right letter, right place
A letter in the word and in the right place. In the game this tile turns green; on our boards it is blue, with a tick.
In the word, wrong place
A letter in the word, but not in this place. In the game it turns yellow; here it is ringed. Try it somewhere else next time.
Not in the word
A letter that is not in the word at all turns grey. Leave it out of the next guesses.
A letter can come twice
The word can hold a letter twice. Each copy is marked on its own: against FLOOR, ROBOT's second O is in place and its first O is ringed, because FLOOR has two.
- ✗ Not allowed
Only real words count
Letters that make no word are refused, and cost you nothing: the row stays open until you type a real word.
From the first guess to the word
A word of our own, PLANT, in three guesses:
STARE: the A is placed, the T is in the word
CHANT: A, N and T in place
PLANT: solved in three
Where to play, and the controls
- Open nytimes.com/games/wordle in a browser, or Wordle in the NYT Games app.
- Type a five-letter word on the keyboard and press Enter.
- The keyboard keeps the marks too: it shows which letters are in, out, or not tried yet.
Tips that solve it faster
Start with common letters
Open with a word of five different, common letters, such as a mix of E, A, R, O, T, L, I, S and N. One guess then tests five letters.
Test new letters early
If the first guess finds little, spend the second on five new letters rather than on the answer. Two guesses then cover ten letters.
Move the ringed letters
A ringed letter rules out one place. Put it somewhere new, and the next marks tell you more than repeating it would.
Think of doubles
Answers often hold a letter twice. When the letters you know fit too few words, try a double.
Count what still fits
With one or two letters left to find, write out every word that still fits before you guess. Then pick the guess that splits them best.
Know what Hard Mode changes
In Hard Mode every letter you have found must be used in the next guesses. It removes the throwaway guess, so play it once the basics feel easy.
Questions
What is Wordle?
A daily word game from The New York Times: guess one five-letter word in six tries. There is one word a day, the same for every player.
How many guesses do you get in Wordle?
Six. If the sixth guess is not the word, the game shows the answer and the streak starts again.
What do the colours mean in Wordle?
In the game, green means the letter is in the word and in the right place, yellow that it is in the word but somewhere else, and grey that it is not in the word.
Can Wordle have double letters?
Yes. A letter can appear more than once, and each copy is marked on its own.
What is Hard Mode in Wordle?
A setting in which every letter already found must be used in every later guess: a placed letter stays in its place, a found one stays in the word.
Wordle is a game by The New York Times. AWA GAMES is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times. The boards on this page are our own.
Last updated .