Wordle: The Unexpected Journey Of A Viral Word Game

When Josh Wardle created Wordle, he had no idea it would become a viral sensation. The Brooklyn-based software engineer developed a prototype for Wordle in 2013, but his friends were unimpressed with the game, so he shelved it. Almost a decade later, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced much of the world into lockdown, Wardle revisited this game, refining it as a gift for his crossword-loving partner, Palek Shah. The couple had been playing various word games together, and Wordle was intended to be a simple activity for the two of them.

This time, however, his friends and family loved the game. In October 2021, Wardle decided to upload it online for everyone to enjoy. To his surprise, Wordle garnered 91 players in November. By January, that number skyrocketed to over 2 million players! Seeing its growing popularity, The New York Times took notice and purchased the game for a seven-figure sum.

Wardle attributes the game’s success to two main factors. The first is the unique format of Wordle: five-letter words with six guesses. He explained in an interview with Newsweek that this format was not random; it was the result of thorough testing and refinement. He found that this balance made the game challenging yet solvable, providing players with a satisfying sense of accomplishment. The second factor is the limited playtime—players can only solve one puzzle per day.

Wardle was inspired by his experiences during the pandemic and the popularity of other daily puzzles, such as The New York Times 'Spelling Bee.' He liked the idea of creating a shared experience, where everyone around the world was working on the same problem at the same time. This communal aspect, he believes, contributes to the game's engaging quality and encourages conversations among players.

Hints for Today's Wordle Puzzle

If you're looking for a little help with today's puzzle, we’ve put together a few hints to guide you through!

Wordle #1,047: Clues for Wednesday, May 1

Hint #1: Today’s Wordle contains two vowels.

Hint #2: The answer is a noun.

Hint #3: There are no repeated letters.

Hint #4: The last letter is a consonant.

Hint #5: Related words include “notebook,” “blog,” and “journal.”

Wordle #1,047: Answer for Wednesday, May 1

The answer to today’s Wordle is “Diary.” Did you guess it correctly? If not, don't worry! You can always try again tomorrow when the game resets at midnight in your local time zone. Newsweek will be back with more hints, so keep an eye out if you find yourself struggling!