The daily word guessing game Wordle and why it's so popular. Initially released in October 2021, web-based Wordle surged in popularity around the end of 2021, coinciding with the addition of a feature that allows players to share their scores on social media using emojis. Each day, players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, with many taking to social media to share their daily Wordle scores.
It seems like Wordle may have been inspired by a television game show, Lingo, where players guess a randomly generated five-letter word. After providing a guess, players are shown which letters are correctly placed, as well as letters that are in the word, but not in the right place, just like Wordle. The five-letter puzzle is challenging but not too hard, although Wordle's hard mode may appeal to players that want a greater challenge. One downside of Wordle’s viral popularity, however, is that it can be difficult for players to avoid spoilers about the daily puzzle on social media.
While players might not post what the word of the day is - the ultimate spoiler - the daily word can be spoiled in other ways. Wordle going viral coincided with Josh Wardle, the game’s creator, adding a score-sharing option after seeing players share their scores online. This fuelled a sense of community around the game, along with a few friendly rivalries, even spawning Wordle box memes. The score-sharing feature provides a visual representation of the player’s guesses, showing quickly the player solved the daily word puzzle. From observing other players’ scores, and notably, how hard they found the puzzle, players can make informed guesses, factoring in the word’s complexity.
The Psychology Of Wordle: Observing Other Players' Scores
In an interview with Wordle's boxes and what they mean.
Due to the widespread popularity of Wordle, it’s difficult to avoid seeing other players’ scores on social media. While seeing other players’ scores may not impact how a player tackles the daily word puzzle, it’s possible to adjust guesses by factoring in how easy, or hard, others found the same day’s puzzle. The psychology of Wordle, notably its simplicity, has led to its viral success. The five-letter word puzzle is fun and engaging, and the trend to share Wordle scores on social media feeds into a sense of community and competition, with players rallied around solving the same word, and seeing how players' Wordle scores measure up against one another.
