From the challenging to the downright wacky, these options are perfect for people who love the popular online game played by millions.
The last two years have been tough for us all. There were but a few things that brought us all together and helped to get us through the tumultuous times; sourdough starters, banana bread, Joe Wicks, driving to Barnard Castle to test our eyesight, being ambushed by a cake whilst having a birthday party in Number 10 Downing Street (delete as required). And then, as the Omicron variant loomed over us in October 2021, came Wordle.
Wordle, the glorious game which sees Twitter timelines across the globe filled with yellow and green tiles and leads to more boisterous bragging than a 6am Oxford University rowing practice session.
For those of you who have been living under a rock and don’t know what wordle is (sidenote: do you live there rent free? Things are about to get *really* expensive here in the UK. Send help), it’s an online game, which can only be played once per day. Therein lies the beauty. Or the frustration. You decide.
Invented by Welsh-born, Brooklyn based Josh Wardle, the game gained popularity in the winter of 2021 and early 2022 prompting the New York Times to buy it for a seven-figure sum. This move caused many wordle fans to ask question: will the game soon be subject to a paywall?
So, whether you’re worried that you’ll soon have a Wordle shaped hole in your life or you just can’t get enough, here are seven ways you can get your Wordle fix.
1. Wordle: hard mode
“If it ain’t broken don’t fix it”. Wordle may not be free forever but it still is at the moment so let’s make sure we make the best of it.
You can level up your game whilst using the same Wordle URL that you’re used to typing in every day by accessing hard mode. Hard mode can be found in the settings section and you simply need to switch it on.
The difficulty increases as you need to be more accurate. For example, if one of your letters turns green, then you must include that letter in the same place on your next go.
Note that if you choose this mode, you can’t then change your mind, you still only have one wordle a day. You can’t have your wordle and eat it.
Pro: Ultimate bragging rights when you post on twitter.
Con: You genuinely might lose.
2. Wordle archive
Alternatively, if you’re really a big believer that a Wordle a day keeps the doctor away and you wish to be in very fine health, then you need to head over to the wordle archive.
Here you can play over 200 wordles from the past. You can access those puzzles you missed or, and let’s be honest here, solve the puzzle that got one over on you the first time. Go on, give that ego a little boost.
Pro: You increase the odds of winning, with two hundred words down there are only…many more thousands to go.
Con: Wordle based repetitive strain injury is not covered by your Bupa health insurance.
3. Dordle
You’ve done your wordle in two. You’re feeling smug. You’re already put your colour coded brag onto twitter. But your thumbs are still twiddling. What do you do next?
You could try Dordle. Which is pretty much wordle but double the challenge and has two games side by side. You have seven tries to guess two different words so one more try than the original.
Pro: It’s fun to say.
Con: Only one more try than the original. Ouch.
4. Quordle
Then there’s Quordle. Again, this has the same idea as wordle at the heart of it, same colours, same rules. In this version, you must find four words but have nine guesses in total. As it turns out nine guesses aren’t as many as you think.
Pro: It’s a good option if you have time to kill.
Con: Looking in so many different directions during quordle may cause you to become a human version of a hammerhead shark.
5. Worldle
Worldle is a game for those who want to do a bit of travelling from the comfort of their own sofas. In fact, it’s a game where just saying the name out loud is fun – try it!
With this online game you need to guess a country or a territory in six tries. You’re given the outline of the territory and if you get it wrong then you’ll be told how far away the correct place is and which direction to head in.
For example, if you guess Japan and the correct answer is New Zealand you have an arrow that points southeast and told it’s 9363km away.
Pro: You did GCSE Geography and got an A*, finally you can use it!
Con: You soon remember that Mrs. Richards taught you about Pompeii and precipitation and absolutely nothing else. Thanks a lot, Miss.
6. Sqwordle
A few years ago, the world went crazy for Pokemon Go which saw people getting outside and following virtual creatures through the streets and sometimes into rivers or other dangerous situations to capture them.
Today, you can opt for a safer alternative with Sqwordle, which is presumably a play on the Pokemon called Squirtle and Wordle. You have six tries to guess the Pokemon.
Pro: A stroll down memory lane.
Con: You realise you only remember Squirtle and Pikachu and so you give up after two days.
7. Le Mot, Spanish wordle, Latin wordle
If you really want to convince people you’re part of the metropolitan elite without carrying a tote bag adorned with badges of environmental charities with a copy of the Guardian inside, you could try a foreign language version of wordle instead.
There are a few different options available including a French-language version, Le Mot, a Spanish version, and even a Latin version, which is presumably reserved for Boris Johnson and members of the clergy.
If you do try these games then remember: if can’t get the answer right then you could always try shouting the answer at your phone in English. After all, that’s how we’ve communicated abroad for hundreds of years.
Pro: Think of how annoyed Brexit voters will be when you tell them this is your new hobby.
Con: Having to be within 50 metres (or 164 feet for them) of Brexiteers. Out of choice.