Google revealed that the English word “Wordle” was the most searched term this year in the United States and worldwide.
But do you know what “Wordle” is?
Wordle is the name given to a five-letter guessing game published by The New York Times that became a craze in the United States and, apparently, around the world.
The term surpassed topics that many would say are more relevant, such as “election results” and “Betty White” in the United States, and “Queen Elizabeth” and “Ukraine” globally.
In other words, guessing five-letter words has become a way of life.
Wordle is an online game that gives players six chances to guess a five-letter word daily. On some days, however, getting the answer is tricky, leading people to seek hints from friends, family, and coworkers.
Josh Wardle, a software engineer from Brooklyn who previously worked at Reddit, launched the game in October 2021, which quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The New York Times bought Wordle in February 2022 to bolster its game subscription business and attract new readers to the newspaper.
In July, the Times sealed a partnership with Hasbro (HAS) to turn Wordle into a board game, allowing the news agency to keep its existing audience engaged with Wordle while also introducing it to new audiences.
Last month, the Times appointed Tracy Bennett as the new editor of Wordle, signaling that the game is shifting from Wardle’s pre-selected words to words chosen by the Times. Another change adopted: the answer will never be a plural ending in “s” or “es”.
You can play Wordle for free on The New York Times webpage.