In the New York Times daily Wordle, you have six tries to find a hidden five-letter word. After each accepted guess, colored tiles show which letters are in the answer and whether they are in the right positions. A rejected word is not a used guess; a submitted wrong word is.
How do you play Wordle?
- Open the New York Times Wordle and enter a complete five-letter word.
- Submit the guess. If the game accepts it, the row is scored and you receive color clues.
- Use those clues to choose another five-letter guess. You have six submitted guesses to find the answer.
- If you solve it, the number of rows used is your result—for example, 4/6 means you solved it in four guesses, within the six-guess limit.
If the game rejects an entry, it has not been submitted as a scored guess and does not use a row. A valid-but-wrong guess, by contrast, is submitted, uses a row, and produces clues.
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What do the green, yellow, and gray squares mean?
- Green: The letter appears in the answer in that exact position.
- Yellow: The letter appears in the answer, but in a different position.
- Gray or uncolored: The letter is not represented in the answer, once any duplicate copies are interpreted together.
These are clues about both the letter and its position. A yellow letter belongs somewhere else; moving it to a different spot is not enough if that spot is already ruled out by another clue.
Which words does Wordle accept?
Wordle uses its own accepted-word list. It is not simply a matter of entering any five-letter English word: a word can be genuine and familiar yet still be rejected. Also, an accepted guess is not necessarily eligible to be the hidden answer; the guess list can be broader than the answer list.
#1 Best Overall
The New York Times game page did not provide readable rule text for this account, and an independently verified current official count or complete list was not available. Do not rely on fixed dictionary-size figures from third-party coverage as current official numbers.
Can a letter appear twice in Wordle?
Yes. An answer can contain repeated letters, and a guess can repeat a letter. Read all copies of a guessed letter together rather than assuming that each tile is scored independently.
Rank #2
- Wordle Experience in a Board Game – Love Wordle? Boardle brings the same addictive 5-letter word challenge to your table, no screens required. Compete in real life word-guessing duels that capture the fun of the online game in a social, face-to-face format. (This game is unaffiliated with NYT/Hasbro Wordle.)
- Head-to-Head 2-Player Word Duel – Challenge a friend or partner in a battle of wits. Boardle is a 2-player board game where each player takes turns secretly writing a 5-letter word while their partner deciphers the other’s word through strategic guesses. It’s perfect for couples’ game nights or a quick round of competitive fun with a buddy.
- Fun for Family Game Night & Parties – Bring family and friends together with this fast-paced word puzzle game. Play one-on-one or form teams for group play. Boardle spices up parties, classrooms, and family game nights by getting everyone thinking and laughing as they race to crack the code.
- Build Vocabulary & Brainpower – More than just a game, Boardle is an educational word puzzle that helps expand vocabulary and sharpen spelling skills. Great for English learners and word enthusiasts, it’s an engaging tool for teachers or parents to make learning fun. (Screen-free brain teaser!)
- Premium Quality & Complete Set – Boardle comes with a durable game board, letter tiles, color-coded clue pegs, and even a sand timer for timed rounds – everything you need for endless play. High-quality components ensure longevity, and the sleek design makes it a great gift for puzzle lovers. (Ages 14+)
For example, the NYT tabletop instructions explain that when the answer has one copy of a letter and the guess repeats it, a copy in the exact position is green while the extra copy is left unmarked. If repeated copies are both in the wrong positions, only one earns yellow when the answer contains just one copy. The instructions are for the physical game, so they document the duplicate-letter principle but are not a complete manual for the current digital interface.
What is Hard Mode?
In regular play, you can use a guess to test new letters without carrying forward every clue from previous rows. Secondary reporting describes Hard Mode as requiring later guesses to use revealed information: greens must remain in their known positions, and revealed yellows must be included. It constrains how you guess; it does not change the hidden answer. Current official digital wording for the mode was not available to verify here.
Rank #3
- Guess the Secret Word: Inspired by the most popular online word game that broke the internet, 5-Letter Wordlet is the wordle style party game families and friends can enjoy together.
- Play All Day: With 5-Letter Wordlet, the fun never ends, as players aren't limited to one word puzzle a day like the online version. Unlimited play with dry erase guessing boards and markers means unlimited fun!
- Grab and Go Game: 5-Letter Wordlet's game boards are specifically designed to pick up and hold.
- Party Game Night: Make it a party game night with 5-Letter Wordlet, the wordle based game that is great for evenings with friends and family, game nights, or date nights.
- What's Inside: The 5-Letter Wordlet Word Party Game is loaded with 3 Dry Erase Guessing Boards, 3 Dry Erase Markers, 90 Guessing Chips, 200 Secret Words, and Instructions to get your game night started in five minutes or less
| Mode | Freedom to test letters | Use of revealed clues | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | You can make an exploratory guess that tests other letters without preserving every known clue. | Not required in every subsequent guess. | Offers more flexibility, especially when you want to narrow down several possible letters. |
| Hard Mode | Less freedom to use a guess solely to test unrelated letters. | Secondary reporting says revealed green and yellow clues must be used. | Requires clue-following; it can make solving more constrained for beginners. |
What does 4/6 mean?
For the online daily puzzle, 4/6 means the player found the answer on the fourth submitted guess, out of a maximum of six. It describes guesses used to solve, not a point total. A puzzle not solved within six guesses is a failure, not a successful score. Current official details about streaks, statistics, and precisely how the digital interface displays them were not verified here.
How does the Wordle party game score differently?
The New York Times and Hasbro’s physical Wordle: The Party Game is a separate multiplayer adaptation, not the daily online puzzle. A host chooses a secret word, and players use boards, markers, and tiles to guess. The official 2022 instructions say, “Just like the digital version of Wordle, you get six tries to guess the word.” In this tabletop game, each guess used to solve earns one point; failing to solve earns seven points, and the player with the fewest cumulative points wins. Those points do not describe online daily Wordle scoring.
Rank #4
Is there a best first guess?
There is no universally best opener for every player and every version of the answer list: the choice depends on the word pool and whether the goal is a low average number of guesses or a stronger worst-case guarantee. In a 2024 Operations Research paper, Dimitris Bertsimas and Alex Paskov report that their exact dynamic-programming model found SALET optimal as a starting guess, with an average of 3.421 guesses and all modeled hidden words solved in at most five guesses. Those results apply to the paper’s modeled answer set and assumptions; they are not a guarantee for current NYT Wordle or for human play.
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Best Value
- PLAY WORDLE IN REAL LIFE WITH FRIENDS: Inspired by the popular digital version, Wordle: The Party Game features the same gameplay fans love, but players compete in real life to solve the Wordle
- THE WORD IS … PARTY: Swap solo play for social with this analog version of the Wordle game. Players take turns writing down a 5-letter Secret Word. The others try to guess it in the fewest tries to win
- UNLIMITED PLAY WITH DRY-ERASE BOARDS: No more waiting for a new Wordle game. Use the Wordle dry-erase boards and markers to play as many rounds as there are players. Replay again and again
- 4 WAYS TO WORDLE: Try the classic play or 3 variations. In fast mode, players race to solve the Wordle first. In timed mode, beat the clock—or receive more points. Or compete in groups with team mode
- FRIENDS & FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Break out this fun game for evenings with friends or family game nights. For ages 14 and up, it’s a great gift for adults, teens, Wordle fans, and word puzzle lovers
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