If 2022 brings an obsession with five-letter words, you'll probably be in the market for more games like Worlde - because sadly, you can't play Wordle all day. Whether the New York Times acquisition has you ready for a potential post-paywall world without Wordle or you've just played through today's puzzle, you're probably looking for some similar word games to make the most of your vocabulary buzz .
While Wordle is unique in that everyone gets the same word of the day and can only try six times to guess it, there are many equally fun and intellectually stimulating apps and URL-hosted word games to play behind Wordle . What's more, many games, such as Wordle, allow you to play however you want, have different levels and achievement goals, and allow you to play with friends. Add some new word games to your boredom-fighting arsenal so you can play a quick game while waiting for the train, or choose to play a game instead of mindless social media scrolling.
From copycat-worthy Wordle spinoffs like the Swiftie-themed Taylordle and the food-themed Phoodle, to classic brainteasers like NYT's Spelling Bee or the Lewis Carroll-inspired Word Ladder, these brainteasers will Keeping you guessing about your hot word of the day long after you've finished playing.
Here are 19 games you can play while you wait for Wordle to refresh.
1. Spelling Bee
If you're a New York Times subscriber, you get free access to Spelling Bee, a word game that looks simple but is actually quite difficult. In the spelling bee, you are given a "honeycomb" of seven letters to form a word, all of which must use the center letter. By using all seven letters in at least one word each day, you can accumulate points to reach the "genius" or winning level. If you guess all the words of the day, you win the "Queen Bee". Like Wordle, Spelling Bee only refreshes once a day, but unlike Wordle, you have unlimited guesses to spell out as many words as you like.
2. Spell Tower
In Spell Tower, players can find words in blocks to clear pegs and avoid reaching the ceiling, much like Tetris. Players are rewarded for finding longer words with larger open spaces. If bragging rights are half the fun of playing for you, you can click the Share icon to share your score on social media when you're done. Spell Tower is free on the App Store and Google Play.
3. Absurd
If you like being bullied by games, try Absurdle, the "versus" version of Wordle. The game designers made it so that the program actively avoids giving you hints about the correct words, and even changes the secret words as you play. However, the benefit of browser-based games is that you can take unlimited guesses, which means more planning time.
4. Forward
With Word Forward, you have a 5x5 grid with various letter combinations that you can use to form real words. Instead of getting points based on the quality of the words (like a big or complex song), this game gets points based on the number of words you can say, like amazingly. Word Forward is available on the App Store or Google Play for $2.99.
5. Word Master
Word Master is a browser-based game with a very similar atmosphere to Wordle. You have six guesses to find the correct word. After each guess, the correct letter turns green if it's in the correct position, yellow if it's in the word but not in that position, or gray if it's not in the word. The only difference between Word Master and Wordle is that you can continue playing multiple puzzles throughout the day.
6. Movable type printing press
If you like competitive word games, you'll love Letter Press, a no-limits game that can be played with friends or random opponents on the internet. Unscramble tiles to spell words, earn bonus points for long words, and chat with players in real time. Available for free on the App Store and Google Play.
7. Hello, Wordl
Hello Wordl operates in the same way as OG Wordle. The only difference is that you can change the number of letters in the word (up to 11 letters), and you can click "Random" in the upper left corner to get more words in a day. This is a great place to practice word memory so you're ready for the official Daily Wordle.
8. Tyler Dell
Call it Wordle (Taylor's version). From Holy Swift, the weekly Taylor Swift-themed podcast, Taylor Dell operates almost the same way as Wordle: five letters, six guesses. Each puzzle features a different word from Taylor's fans - whether it's "SWIFT" or "SCARF." After spending decades deciphering Blondie's mysterious album announcements, the Swifties should have "a pretty good idea" of how to fill in the "gaps" in the puzzle.
9. Parabra
Created by Lucio Villa, Palabra is another Wordle-like game centered around beloved reggaeton artist Bad Bunny. Although Palabra is built in much the same way as Wordle, Palabra uses six-letter words from the lyrics of the Bad Bunny song. Each puzzle provides a link to the song on Spotify, so you can follow your guess.
10.Lord of the Rings
Your years of fluency in Elvish can finally be put to good use in The Lord of the Rings. This Wordle clone is based on the series by JRR Tolkien, using five-letter words from the series. (Think: "Frodo," "Bilbo," "The Ring.")
11. Green World
Climate change may not be the easiest clue in a word puzzle, but "Green World," a Wordle spin-off created by the International Institute for Environment and Development, is a great way to brush up on environmental terminology.
12. The world
More than just a misspelling of the original Wordle, Worldle is a guessing game for geography fans. You start with the outline of the country, which is the answer to the puzzle (although you can turn it off for an extra challenge). Each time you guess, you'll see how close your answer is to the actual solution in kilometers and percentages, as well as the geographic direction of the final country.
13. Quader
Not enough daily Wordle? Try quadrupling that. Quordle gives you four different words to guess that you can solve simultaneously. (Scroll down to see the last two quadrants.) You have nine guesses to solve all four words, and the keyboard prompts you which letters appear in each quadrant.
14. Dowdell
If four words is too many, you can play Dordle, which is just a double version of Wordle. (Or half a version of Quordle, inspired by Dordle.)
15.Wordle Unlimited
Indeed, with Wordle Unlimited, there is a way to play unlimited amounts of Wordle. The game plays exactly like the original, you just need to solve the puzzles to continue playing. Let this game have its own browser tab, stat.
16. Star Talk
Test your Star Wars knowledge with this Wordle spin-off, which uses words from the fan-favorite sci-fi series.
17. Rudel
If everyday Wordle is a little too mild for your taste, try Lewdle, a version of Wordle that only uses, ahem, playful words. Just to give you a hint, those of us with a teenage boy sense of humor are going to have an inherent advantage when it comes to NSFW word games - assuming you can stifle your giggles enough to say your guess.
18. Poodle
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Craving more Wordle? This version of the OG game has you guessing food-related words. When you get your taste word of the day, you'll get a delicious fact or cooking tip related to that day's word, and the puzzle will also feature a surprising weekly recipe. The tribute to Wordle was created by cookbook author Julie Loria, who also curates the weekly recipes you'll see in the game. Need more convincing to give it a try? The rave reviews came from none other than Martha Stewart herself.
19. Weaver
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Weaver takes the now-iconic Wordle format and applies it to everyday word ladders. Invented in 1877 by "Alice in Wonderland" author Lewis Carroll, the object of the game is to turn one word into another, editing one letter at a time. For example, to change EAST to WEST, you would change EAST to VAST, then to VEST, and finally to WEST. Just like in Wordle, when you type a new letter correctly, it turns green in the grid. Unlike Wordle, you can try multiple attempts to get to the final word, and you can backtrack on your guesses to create more efficient chains. (Your statistics will reflect what your "best" guesses should be from one end to the other.) The game has attracted a loyal following on TikTok, with more than 8,900 views on videos with the hashtag #weaver Thousands of times.
