How to Play Wordle: A Beginner's Guide with Tips and Tricks (2024)

Written byStan Kats|Edited byCheyenne Main

Last Updated: May 9, 2024Fact Checked

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Playing Wordle

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1. 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.^[1]

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   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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   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.
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   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.

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   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.^[2]

   • 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.

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1. 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.^[3]

   • 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.
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   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.^[4]

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1. 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:^[5]

   • Cause
   • Irate
   • Adieu
   • Radio
   • Abode
   • Hokey
   • Audio
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   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.^[6]

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   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.^[7]

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   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.^[8]

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   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:^[9]

   • 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
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   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.

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   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."

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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.

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