Over the past couple weeks I, like much of the people I follow on the internet, have also become addicted to a new online game called Wordle.
The rules are simple. You have six chances to guess a five-letter word. Each time you guess a word your chosen letters change colors to let you know how you’re doing, either grey, yellow, or green.
Grey means that letter is not in the mystery word. Yellow means the letter is in the word but not in the correct position. Green means the letter is a correct guess and in the correct position.
There are no timers, no hints, no ads, no excess. It’s just up to you to puzzle over the letters you have until the correct answer occurs to you.
As I’ve written about before, I’m on a never-ending quest to add more mystery back into my life. I’ve embraced analog tech, deleted social media, limited screen time, and more. It’s increased my curiosity and forced me to appreciate the little things in life. And Wordle is the newest source of mystery in my daily routine.
The mystery word is not where Wordle’s mysteries end. The game is also limited to one puzzle per day. You can’t purchase more games or unlock more levels, you simply have to wait for the next day to tackle the next puzzle. I think part of the reason Wordle has gone viral is that people are longing for a slower, more thoughtful experience in their life, both online and off. In a world of constant information and overstimulation, having to wait 24 hours is wonderful.
Additionally, the creator of Wordle has turned sharing your results into a mystery as well. Your guesses are simply shown as colored squares in a Tetris-esque array of cascading blocks. For instance, here’s what my progression of guesses looked like just the other day:
I’ve read many articles about Wordle over the past few weeks but many of them seem to miss the mark. People are trying to optimize the game by suggesting strategies for the best possible first word, the best possible combination of letters, an algorithm to decode the puzzle, and more. It’s an all-too-common occurrence online when many people come together in a desire to streamline an experience instead of appreciate it for what it is.
Part of what makes Wordle (and on a greater level, mystery) so worthwhile is the feeling of not knowing. I love going into something without having a clue where it’s headed. It could be a TV show, a good book, a museum, a new album, or a simple word puzzle. It’s why I’m obsessed with puzzles, codes, the Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, David Fincher, David Lynch, Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, Orson Welles, and more. I want to be taken on a ride and I don’t need to know where I’m headed to appreciate it.
When I play Wordle I prefer to let a new word pop in my head instead of just using the same word each time. Maybe it’s something I heard during the day or see in my current environment. It doesn’t matter. I just go with it and see where it takes me. It’s a good life lesson — sometimes you just need to get going if you want to end up anywhere at all.
If you aren’t playing Wordle yet I think you’ll enjoy it. And if you already are I hope you appreciate the mystery just as much as I do. It’s a good feeling when something allows us to learn, enjoy, think, and relax so we can appreciate the small things. All of which would be great starting words for today’s puzzle.
But I’ll leave that up to you.