How To Play Wordle: A Beginner's Guide With Tips And Tricks

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow A Step-by-Step Guide to Play Wordle for Free PDF download Download Article Learn all the rules of this popular online word game Co-authored by Cheyenne Main Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: December 6, 2024 Fact Checked

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This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Cheyenne Main. Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 539,198 times.

Are you curious about how to play Wordle, the viral puzzle that's taken the world by storm? The premise of Wordle is simple—you have to guess a five-letter word in six tries. We'll show you where to find Wordle on the web, teach you the rules of the game, share your results with friends, and give you all the tips and tricks you'll need to become a Wordle pro!

Playing Wordle

Type a 5-letter word and press “enter” to see if any letters in it are also in today’s word. Green tiles mean you’ve guessed the correct letter in the correct place in the word. A yellow tile means you guessed a letter that’s in the word but isn’t in the right spot. A grey tile means the letter is not in today’s word.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

How do you play Wordle?

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  1. Step 1 Enter a 5-letter word. 1 Enter a 5-letter word. You'll have 6 chances to guess the 5-letter word of the day, so make every guess count! Try using a word that contains many different letters to narrow down your future guesses. Type your first guess, and then press or click Enter to see if you've matched any letters.
  2. Step 2 Check the tile colors. 2 Check the tile colors. After you make a guess, the tile colors will change:
    • A green tile indicates that you've guessed the correct letter in the correct place in the word.
    • A yellow tile means you've guessed a letter that's in the word, but not in the right spot.
    • A gray tile means that letter is not in today's word.
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  3. Step 3 Guess another word. 3 Guess another word. Use the clues you got from your first guess to try again. Remember, don't reuse any of the gray letters, as they are definitely not in today's Wordle.
    • If you correctly guessed a letter at the correct position (a green tile), make sure to use that letter at that position in your second guess.
    • Letters can appear more than once in the same word.
  4. Step 4 Continue entering your guesses until all letters are green. 4 Continue entering your guesses until all letters are green. When you've correctly guessed the word, you'll see a pop-up window with your statistics, as well as a countdown timer that tells you how long it'll be until the next Wordle is available.
  5. Step 5 Share your score. 5 Share your score. If you want to show others how you did, click the Share button to copy a colorful grid that you can paste into a new tweet, Facebook post, email, or instant message.
    • Since everybody is playing the same Wordle puzzle, your results won't divulge the word of the day to your friends and followers.
    • You can return to your statistics (and the Share button) at any time by clicking the bar graph icon at the top of Wordle.
    6. Advertisement
Section 2 of 3:

Where can I play Wordle?

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  1. Step 1 You can play... 1 You can play Wordle at https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html. To play Wordle on IOS and Android devices, download the official New York Times Games app here. You’ll also find many other games there, like the Crossword, Spelling Bee, Connections, and Sudoku.[1]
    • While other mobile apps in the App Store and Play Store have "Wordle" in their titles, they are not the real Wordle. They're fine to play, but if you want the real Wordle, these are not it.
  2. Step 2 There is only one Wordle puzzle per day. 2 There is only one Wordle puzzle per day. If you don't guess the Wordle of the day, you'll have to wait until midnight to guess a new 5-letter word.[2] Josh Wardle Josh Wardle, Creator of Wordle

    The constraints of Wordle beget creativity. "What's fun about playing Wordle, I think, is where you can kind of tease out what the word should be, based on what you know about language."

    3. Advertisement
Section 3 of 3:

Tips, Tricks, & Best Words

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  1. Step 1 For your first guess, pick a word that contains at least three vowels. 1 For your first guess, pick a word that contains at least three vowels. The goal of your starting word is to narrow down the options for the remaining guesses. Using three vowels is a great way to narrow down the options for subsequent words. Try any of these multi-vowel words for a top-notch first guess:[3]
    • Cause
    • Irate
    • Adieu
    • Radio
    • Abode
    • Hokey
    • Audio
  2. Step 2 Consider possible words based on the results of your first guess. 2 Consider possible words based on the results of your first guess. If you've selected a good first word, you should have some yellow and/or green tiles to work with. Think of some 5-letter words that contain those letters but don't contain any of the gray (incorrect) guesses.[4]
  3. Step 3 Pay attention to the positions of yellow tiles. 3 Pay attention to the positions of yellow tiles. A yellow tile means that letter is in the Wordle of the day, but not at the position you've guessed. Consider the most common locations of the yellow letters in 5-letter words you know. For example, if you have a yellow K in the second position of your first guess, you might try placing it in the 5th position instead—many 5-letter words end with ck.[5]
  4. Step 4 Don't reuse gray tiles. 4 Don't reuse gray tiles. If you've already tried a letter that isn't in today's Wordle, remember not to include it in your second or subsequent guesses.[6]
  5. Step 5 Think about letters that commonly appear together in words. 5 Think about letters that commonly appear together in words. Many letters often appear in sets of two or three in English. Some common examples that can help you narrow down tougher words:[7]
    • At the beginning of a word:
      • tr
      • th
      • cr
      • br
      • qu
    • At the end of a word:
      • ck
      • ng
      • ny
    • Vowel combos:
      • ai
      • ea
      • ou
  6. Step 6 Search the web for 5-letter words. 6 Search the web for 5-letter words. Some may consider this a Wordle cheat, but it can be helpful in a pinch. Try searching the web for "5 letter words that start with TR" for inspiration.
  7. Step 7 Some Wordles contain more than one of the same letter. 7 Some Wordles contain more than one of the same letter. If you're running into trouble after three guesses, try reusing or doubling green or yellow vowels or consonants. For example, "Creep" or "Grill."
    8. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search Add New Question
  • Question Is a plural "s" a good ending? Nicole Levine, MFA Nicole Levine, MFA wikiHow Technology Writer Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. Nicole Levine, MFA Nicole Levine, MFA wikiHow Technology Writer Expert Answer As long as the word is in the dictionary, it might show up in Wordle! But I've been playing for a while now and still haven't seen any words ending with "S." Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 17 Helpful 26
  • Question My share button just says it's been copied to the clipboard and I can't do anything with it. No option to copy so I can't paste to facebook. I guess I need actual step-by-step instructions. Nicole Levine, MFA Nicole Levine, MFA wikiHow Technology Writer Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. Nicole Levine, MFA Nicole Levine, MFA wikiHow Technology Writer Expert Answer When you click "Share," it's just like clicking "Copy." After clicking "Share," create a new Facebook post, right-click on the typing area (the place where you'd type your new post), and then click "Paste" to paste in your grid. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 11 Helpful 20
  • Question Can you use place names or person names? Nicole Levine, MFA Nicole Levine, MFA wikiHow Technology Writer Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. Nicole Levine, MFA Nicole Levine, MFA wikiHow Technology Writer Expert Answer Wordle doesn't use any proper nouns for words. However, some place and person names may also be dictionary words! For example, I've seen the word Robin in Wordle, which is a bird and a name. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 9
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Tips

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
  • Try changing your first word every day so you can have a better chance of getting the Wordle in fewer tries.
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/apps
  2. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html
  3. ↑ https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-tips-and-starting-words-for-wordle/#dt-heading-best-wordle-starting-words-and-tips-to-win
  4. ↑ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/how-play-wordle-tips-tricks-1819408/
  5. ↑ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/how-play-wordle-tips-tricks-1819408/
  6. ↑ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/how-play-wordle-tips-tricks-1819408/
  7. ↑ https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-tips-and-starting-words-for-wordle/#dt-heading-best-wordle-starting-words-and-tips-to-win

About This Article

Stan Kats Reviewed by: Stan Kats Professional Technologist This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Cheyenne Main. Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals. This article has been viewed 539,198 times. 34 votes - 74% Co-authors: 21 Updated: December 6, 2024 Views: 539,198 Categories: Online Games Article SummaryX

The objective of Wordle is to figure out a 5-letter word puzzle using clues about which letters are in the word and where in the word they appear. The daily Wordle puzzle is a 5 by 6 grid of squares. Once you start, you’ll have 6 chances to guess the word. Use your keyboard, or the clickable keyboard under the puzzle grid, to enter any 5-letter word in the top row. If you’re satisfied with your word, hit enter. The letters in the word will change color to reveal your first set of clues. If a letter tile turns gray, that means it doesn’t appear in the word of the day. If a tile turns yellow, that means that letter is in the word, but it’s not in the correct location. Finally, if a tile turns green, that means you’ve correctly guessed both the letter and its location in the word. Use the clues you got from the first word to fill in the second row on the grid. This time, don’t use any of the letters that turned gray in the first row, since you’ve already ruled them out. If you got a letter that turned yellow, you can use it again, but try it in a different position this time. However, if you got a green letter, use it in the same place you did last time. As you work your way down the grid, use the process of elimination to figure out which letters are correct and where they go, until you’re able to guess the correct word. Keep in mind, a letter can appear in the word more than once. Once you manage to get all the tiles to turn green, you’ll know that you’ve solved the puzzle. To share your results with friends, click the “Share” button and paste the results into a text or post. It’ll show up as a fun grid of grey, yellow and green squares showing how you got to the final word. Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Reader Success Stories

  • Binya

    Binya

    Jan 20, 2022

    "Thanks for saying where the real Wordle is because I don't like the Android app."
More reader stories Hide reader stories Share your story

Did this article help you?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Stan Kats Reviewed by: Stan Kats Professional Technologist 34 votes - 74% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 21 Updated: December 6, 2024 Views: 539,198 Binya

Binya

Jan 20, 2022

"Thanks for saying where the real Wordle is because I don't like the Android app." Elli Brown

Elli Brown

Jan 27, 2022

"Helped me understand how to play Wordle." Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

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