Wordle, an online game created by Josh Wardle, has a very simple objective: To guess a five letter word in six attempts, you must use no more that six attempts. The computer highlights letters found in the correct answer after a guess is made. Shaded green is a correctly-placed letter. That’s it! The majority of puzzles are easy to solve in a matter of minutes.
Why has this simple game become so popular on social media? Wardle introduced a new feature that allows players to post their scores, but not reveal the answer, creating a lot of competition. It’s rewarding to win in four guesses—two, even more so. There are endless Twitter discussions about the perfect starter word. This reviewer prefers Stare; adieu is annoyingly popular among the unwashed masses.) Wordle is only one puzzle per day so it should not be a cause for concern about screen addiction. It’s a wholesome, brief distraction—in an ideal world, exactly what social media would exist for.