How to Play Wordle

Wordle is the addictive word puzzle game that challenges you to guess a five-letter word in six attempts or fewer. Using logic, vocabulary, and strategic thinking, eliminate possibilities and narrow down the correct answer with each guess.

Game Objective

Your goal is to discover the secret five-letter word within six guesses. After each guess, the game provides color-coded feedback showing which letters are correct and whether they're in the right position. Use this information to make increasingly educated guesses until you solve the puzzle or run out of attempts.

How to Play

Making Your First Guess

Start by entering any valid five-letter word using your keyboard or the on-screen keyboard. Press Enter to submit your guess. The game will then color-code each letter tile to provide feedback about your guess.

Understanding the Color Codes

• Green: The letter is correct and in the right position. Keep this letter in the same spot for future guesses.
• Yellow: The letter appears in the word but in a different position. Include this letter in your next guess, but try it in a different spot.
• Gray: The letter does not appear anywhere in the word. Avoid using this letter in future guesses.

Refining Your Guesses

Use the feedback from each guess to inform your next attempt. Include all green letters in their confirmed positions, rearrange yellow letters to different positions, and eliminate gray letters entirely. With each guess, you gather more information and narrow down the possible solutions.

Controls

• Physical Keyboard: Type letters directly and press Enter to submit
• On-Screen Keyboard: Click or tap letter buttons to spell your word
• Backspace: Delete the last letter entered
• Enter: Submit your current five-letter guess
• New Game Button: Start a fresh puzzle with a new secret word

Scoring and Statistics

Success in Wordle is measured by solving the puzzle in as few guesses as possible. The game tracks your performance with several statistics:

• Win streak: Consecutive puzzles solved
• Total games played and won
• Win percentage: Success rate across all attempts
• Guess distribution: How many guesses you typically need to solve puzzles

Tips and Strategies

Optimal Starting Words

Use Vowel-Rich Words: Start with words containing multiple common vowels (A, E, I, O, U) to quickly identify which vowels appear in the puzzle. Words like ADIEU, AUDIO, or OURIE maximize vowel coverage in your first guess.

Target Common Consonants: Alternatively, lead with words featuring frequently-used consonants like R, S, T, L, and N. STARE, SLATE, or CRANE are excellent starting words that test these high-frequency letters.

Strategic Second Guess

Eliminate or Confirm: If your first guess reveals no green or yellow letters, use a completely different word with entirely new letters for your second guess. This maximizes information gain by testing ten different letters across two guesses.

Build on Success: If you have green letters, keep them locked in their positions. If you have yellow letters, move them to different positions while introducing new letters to test in the remaining spots.

Letter Frequency Awareness

Common vs. Rare Letters: The most frequently used letters in English words are E, A, R, I, O, T, N, S, L. Prioritize words containing these letters in your early guesses. Save uncommon letters like Q, X, Z, and J for later when you have more information.

Consider Letter Positions: Some letters appear more frequently in certain positions. For example, S commonly starts words, while E often ends them. Use positional probability to make smarter guesses when you have partial information.

Advanced Techniques

Hard Mode Thinking: Even if you're not playing in hard mode, adopt the mindset of using all revealed information in every guess. This forces you to think logically and prevents wasting guesses on words that contradict known information.

Letter Placement Strategy: When you have multiple yellow letters, try words that test different position combinations simultaneously. This efficiently narrows down where each letter belongs without wasting entire guesses.

Pattern Recognition: Learn common five-letter word patterns in English. For example, if you have _AT__, common patterns include MATCH, BATCH, WATCH, or CATCH. Recognizing these patterns helps you generate valid guesses quickly.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Don't Ignore Yellow Letters: A yellow letter must appear in your next guess, just in a different position. Forgetting to include yellow letters wastes the information you've gained.

Avoid Repeated Gray Letters: Once a letter is marked gray, it doesn't appear in the word at all. Including it in future guesses wastes an attempt.

Consider Double Letters: Remember that words can contain the same letter twice (like EVERY or SKILL). If you receive a yellow or green for a letter, the word might contain that letter multiple times.