Play Wordle online for free and join the puzzle that became a daily ritual for millions of word fans worldwide. You have six attempts to guess a hidden five-letter word, using colour-coded feedback after each guess to narrow down the possibilities.
It is a straightforward and addictive word puzzle that challenges your vocabulary and deduction skills. The game gives you all the feedback you need through a simple colour system, making it easy to learn but difficult to master.
The official version is now hosted by The New York Times and can be played directly in your browser, offering a single daily puzzle with no downloads or logins required for the web version.
What is Wordle?
Wordle is a daily word game with exactly one answer: a common five-letter English word. Everyone playing on a given day gets the same word, which is why the little grids of coloured squares end up all over social media each morning.
Where Waffle shows you every letter from the start, Wordle hides them all. The skill is in choosing an opening word that tests as many common letters as possible, then narrowing down line by line until only one candidate survives.
How Wordle works
Type any valid five-letter word and press Enter. The row locks in and each tile turns a colour that tells you how that letter relates to the answer. You get six rows in total, so information matters more than luck.
The colour key
Green – right letter, right position.
Yellow – the letter is in the word, but somewhere else.
Grey – the letter is not in the word at all.
How to play Wordle step by step
Open with a letter-rich word
Start with something like SLATE or CRANE that tests three common consonants and two vowels. A strong opener usually cuts the candidate list from thousands down to dozens.
Read every tile, not just the greens
Grey tiles are information you paid a whole guess for. Write off those letters completely before you type your second word.
Place the yellows somewhere new
A yellow letter is in the word but not in that column. Your next guess should put it in a different position — repeating the same slot wastes the clue.
Narrow, do not gamble
With three or four candidates left, a guess that separates them is worth more than a guess that might be right. You have the lines; use one to test.
Watch for repeated letters
Words like SPEED, ALLEY and MUMMY break the assumption that each letter appears once. If you are stuck with a strong pattern, a double letter is 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 guess carrying three vowels and two common consonants usually leaves you with a short list of candidates.
Do not repeat greys
Every grey letter is information you paid a guess for. Reusing it wastes a line.
Watch double letters
Words like SPEED and ALLEY break the assumption that each letter appears once.
Keep a fixed opener
Using the same strong opening word every day makes your results comparable and removes one decision from the puzzle.
Say the pattern out loud
When you have _R_ST or S_ARE, reading the shape aloud surfaces words that staring at the screen will not.
Game modes in Wordle
Daily Wordle
One shared puzzle a day, the same word for everyone.
Practice mode
Unofficial sites offer unlimited rounds when one a day is not enough.
Hard mode
Any revealed clue must be used in every subsequent guess.
Why players like Wordle
- One puzzle a day, which keeps it a two-minute habit rather than a time sink.
- A shared answer, so comparing scores with friends actually means something.
- Spoiler-free sharing using the grid of coloured squares.
- No account needed to play the web version.
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 the format, but it is not the only shape it takes:
- 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 guess must be a valid five-letter word, and after each one the tiles show you how close you were using green, yellow and grey.
What is the best Wordle starting word?
Any word that tests several common letters works well. CRANE, SLATE and AUDIO are popular openers because they cover frequent consonants and vowels.
Is Wordle free to play?
Yes, the web version is free. The official puzzle is now published by The New York Times and can be played in any modern browser.
Does everyone get the same Wordle word?
Yes. Every player gets the same answer on a given day, which is why the shared score grids are comparable.
How is Wordle different from Waffle?
Wordle hides every letter and you guess words to reveal them. Waffle shows you all the letters from the start and asks you to swap them into the right positions.
Conclusion
Wordle proved that a single well-designed puzzle a day beats an endless feed. Six lines, one answer, and a colour language simple enough to learn in one round.
If you finish today's word and want more, today’s waffle board asks the opposite question — every letter is already in front of you.