Six tries. Five letters. One word. The “Wordle” craze has begun, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. In fact, it’s common to see people at Hall playing “Wordle” during class, comparing scores, or inquiring with friends about the difficulty of the day’s word. 

Perhaps the Wordle’s simplicity is what’s made it such a popular phenomenon, transcending gender, age, and even language barriers. Whether “ADIEU” is your first word every day or you prefer to switch it up, we can all agree that Wordle is something just about anyone can enjoy. 

While the Wordle we know and love is relatively new, the prototype was actually created way back in 2013 by, and yes, this is his real name, Josh Wardle. At its start, Wordle looked pretty different, being a game where players could move onto new puzzles after they’d completed one, instead of having just one puzzle per day as we do now. 

For many, having a new and unknown word to look forward to each day is what makes Wordle such an addictive puzzle, and why it has become an integral part of so many people’s daily routines.

One clue as to why Wordle has taken over can be found in its share button at the completion of each daily game. Players have the chance to send their scores to friends (as pictured above), making a little friendly competition out of the puzzle, and if anyone likes competition, it’s high schoolers. 

In fact, sometimes, some of the first words I exchange with my peers on a morning at school are, “Have you done the Wordle today?” 

Oftentimes, the answer is no, but these conversations always get me excited to figure out the puzzle.

Since the New York Times’ acquisition of Worldle, some players began arguing that the puzzle has become increasingly difficult, as words like “BRINE,” “AROMA,” and “CAULK” showed up as the daily answers. To those protestors, I urge you to seek out the many, many variations of Wordle on the internet, including, but not limited to Dordle (in which you play two Wordle games at once), Taylordle (the words must be related to singer-songwriter Taylor Swift), and Worldle (in which you guess a country based on its displayed outline). 

For all the Wordle fans out there, don’t be discouraged if it takes you six tries to guess the daily word, or if someone spoils the answer before you get a chance to play. There will be many, many new words to guess in the future, so there’s no need to “WORRY.”