Play Wordle online for free. You've got six goes to find one hidden five-letter word, and after each guess the colours tell you how close you got.
That's the whole game. It's easy to learn and genuinely hard to master, because the only thing you're given is what your own guesses tell you.
The official version lives at the New York Times now and runs in any browser — one puzzle a day, no download, no account needed for the web version.
What is Wordle?
Wordle is a daily word game with exactly one answer: a common five-letter word. Everyone playing that day gets the same word, which is why those little grids of coloured squares end up all over your feed every morning.
Where Waffle shows you every letter from the start, Wordle hides all of them. The skill is picking a first word that tests as many common letters as possible, then narrowing it down line by line until only one word is left.
How Wordle works
Type any real five-letter word and press Enter. The row locks in and each letter turns a colour telling you how it relates to the answer. You've got six rows, so what you learn matters more than luck.
The colour key
Green – right letter, right place.
Yellow – the letter's in the word, just somewhere else.
Grey – the letter isn't in the word at all.
How to play Wordle step by step
Start with a word full of common letters
Something like SLATE or CRANE tests three common consonants and two vowels at once. A good opener usually cuts the possibilities from thousands down to a handful.
Read the greys too, not just the greens
A grey letter cost you a whole guess to find out about. Cross it off completely before you type your next word.
Move your yellows somewhere new
A yellow letter is in the word but not in that column. Put it in a different spot next go — leaving it where it is wastes the clue.
Narrow it down instead of gambling
With three or four options left, a word that splits them apart is worth more than one that might happen to be right. You've got the lines. Use one to find out.
Remember letters can repeat
SPEED, ALLEY, MUMMY. If you've got a strong pattern and you're stuck, a doubled letter is very often the answer.
Controls
Desktop and laptop
- Use your keyboard to type, and Enter to submit.
- Backspace clears the last letter you entered.
- The on-screen keyboard tracks which letters you have already ruled out.
Mobile and tablet
- Tap the on-screen keyboard to enter letters.
- Tap the enter key to submit a completed row.
- Everything fits on one screen — no scrolling mid-round.
Tips and strategies for Wordle
Open with vowels
A first word with three vowels and two common consonants usually leaves you a short list to work with.
Never reuse a grey letter
You paid a guess to learn it wasn't there. Using it again throws that guess away.
Watch for double letters
Words like SPEED and ALLEY break the habit of assuming each letter shows up once.
Use the same opener every day
Sticking with one strong first word makes your results comparable and takes one decision out of the puzzle.
Say the pattern out loud
When you've got _R_ST or S_ARE, saying it aloud finds words that staring at the screen won't.
Game modes in Wordle
Daily Wordle
One puzzle a day — the same word for everybody.
Practice mode
Unofficial sites give you unlimited goes when one isn't enough.
Hard mode
Any clue you've uncovered has to be used in every guess after it.
Why players like Wordle
- One puzzle a day, so it stays a two-minute habit instead of a time sink.
- Everyone gets the same word, which is what makes comparing scores fun.
- Sharing doesn't spoil it — just the grid of coloured squares.
- No account needed to play in your browser.
Game details
- Requirements
- A modern browser and internet connection. No downloads or registration needed.
- Platform
- Browser (desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile).
- Genre
- Daily word game, logic puzzle.
- Price
- Free to play.
- Price
- Free — no account, no download.
Games similar to Wordle
Wordle is the cleanest version of this idea, but it isn't the only shape it comes in:
- Waffle Game — every letter is on the board from the start — the puzzle is putting them in the right place in fifteen moves, not working out what they are.
- Dordle Wordle — the same six-guess rhythm, but two hidden words at once and only one extra try.
- Waffle Unlimited — endless 5×5 waffle boards, if one puzzle a day is not enough.
- Deluxe Waffle — the same swapping puzzle scaled up to a 7×7 board, eight words and twenty-five swaps.
- Word Blast — no hidden word at all: sixteen words on the table and four connections to find.
You can also browse the most-played word puzzles this week, the boards we added most recently, or the ones picking up players fastest.
Frequently asked questions
How many guesses do you get in Wordle?
Six. Each one has to be a real five-letter word, and after each guess the colours show you how close you were.
What is the best Wordle starting word?
Anything that tests a lot of common letters. CRANE, SLATE and AUDIO are popular because they cover the letters that turn up most often.
Is Wordle free to play?
Yes, the web version is free. It's published by the New York Times now and works in any normal browser.
Does everyone get the same Wordle word?
Yes. Everybody gets the same answer on a given day, which is why comparing your grid with a friend's actually means something.
How is Wordle different from Waffle?
Wordle hides every letter and you guess words to find them. Waffle shows you all the letters straight away and asks you to move them into the right places.
Conclusion
Wordle proved that one good puzzle a day beats an endless feed of them. Six lines, one answer, and a colour code you can learn in a single round.
If you've done today's word and you want more, today's waffle board asks the opposite question — every letter is already sitting in front of you.