Considering the global sensation it has developed into, Wordle, the word-based game, has remarkably humble origins. The puzzle developed during the COVID lockdown by Josh Wardle, a software engineer based in New York, who simply wanted a game “for me and my partner to enjoy.”
Wardle released Wordle to the general public in October 2021, and it quickly developed a dedicated following across the English-speaking world. Indeed, some particularly hardcore fans took to sharing their results and comparing strategies each day on social media.
In January 2022, Wardle sold Wordle to The New York Times for an undisclosed seven-figure sum, though the game remained free to play.
Speaking to Newsweek, Erhan Aslan, a linguistics expert who teaches at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, provided some tips for Wordle players.
He said: “One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen. Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, …