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Wordle gives you six chances to identify a hidden five-letter word. Every player receives the same puzzle for the day, and the colored tiles after each guess tell you which letters are useful and where they belong.
You can play in a browser at the official New York Times Wordle site or through the NYT Games app.
How to play Wordle
- Open Wordle on the official website or in the NYT Games app.
- Enter a valid five-letter word. You can use the on-screen keyboard or your device’s physical keyboard.
- Select Enter to submit the guess.
- Read the color of each tile.
- Use the feedback to choose a better word for your next attempt.
You have six guesses in total. You win by finding the hidden word within those six attempts. If all six guesses are used without identifying it, the puzzle ends and the answer is revealed.
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What the Wordle colors mean
| Tile color | Meaning | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Green | The letter is in the answer and is in the correct position. | Keep that letter in the same position. |
| Yellow | The letter is in the answer but is in the wrong position. | Use the letter again in a different position. |
| Gray | That copy of the letter is not available in any remaining position. | Usually eliminate the letter, while checking for duplicate-letter situations. |
For example, if you enter CRANE and the A tile turns yellow, the answer contains an A, but not in the third position. If the C, R, N, and E tiles turn gray, those letters are not part of the answer in the relevant quantities.
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How to use each guess effectively
Your first guess should normally test several common letters rather than attempt an obscure word. A useful opening word contains frequently occurring vowels and consonants, but it should still be a valid word you can enter confidently.
- Start with information. Test a mixture of common vowels and consonants.
- Lock in greens. A green tile gives you a confirmed letter and position. Do not move it in later guesses.
- Move yellows. A yellow letter must remain in your deductions but must be tested in another position.
- Remove grays. Avoid letters that the feedback has ruled out.
- Use a testing guess when necessary. If several possible answers remain, a word that checks new letters can be more valuable than an immediate attempt at the solution.
In regular mode, the game does not require every guess to follow earlier clues. You can submit a word that ignores a green or yellow letter if you are deliberately testing possibilities. That can help identify several unknown letters, although it also uses one of your six turns.
How duplicate letters work
Repeated letters are the most common source of confusion. A gray tile does not always prove that the letter is absent from the answer. It may mean that Wordle has already marked the maximum number of copies that the answer contains.
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- Wordle Experience in a Board Game – Love Wordle? Boardle brings the same addictive 5-letter word challenge to your table, no screens required. Compete in real life word-guessing duels that capture the fun of the online game in a social, face-to-face format. (This game is unaffiliated with NYT/Hasbro Wordle.)
- Head-to-Head 2-Player Word Duel – Challenge a friend or partner in a battle of wits. Boardle is a 2-player board game where each player takes turns secretly writing a 5-letter word while their partner deciphers the other’s word through strategic guesses. It’s perfect for couples’ game nights or a quick round of competitive fun with a buddy.
- Fun for Family Game Night & Parties – Bring family and friends together with this fast-paced word puzzle game. Play one-on-one or form teams for group play. Boardle spices up parties, classrooms, and family game nights by getting everyone thinking and laughing as they race to crack the code.
- Build Vocabulary & Brainpower – More than just a game, Boardle is an educational word puzzle that helps expand vocabulary and sharpen spelling skills. Great for English learners and word enthusiasts, it’s an engaging tool for teachers or parents to make learning fun. (Screen-free brain teaser!)
- Premium Quality & Complete Set – Boardle comes with a durable game board, letter tiles, color-coded clue pegs, and even a sand timer for timed rounds – everything you need for endless play. High-quality components ensure longevity, and the sleek design makes it a great gift for puzzle lovers. (Ages 14+)
Wordle evaluates letters by accounting for correctly placed copies first, then other matching copies. Suppose the answer contains only one A, but your guess contains two As. One A may turn green or yellow, while the other A turns gray. The gray A means there is no additional A available—not necessarily that there are no As at all.
If the answer contains two copies of a letter, two copies in your guess can both receive color feedback, depending on their positions. When repeated letters appear, count the colored copies rather than treating every gray tile as a complete ban on that letter.
How to enable Hard Mode
Hard Mode makes later guesses follow the clues you have already uncovered:
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- Open Wordle.
- Select the Settings icon.
- Turn on Hard Mode.
In Hard Mode, every subsequent guess must include revealed green letters in their known positions and revealed yellow letters. However, it does not necessarily enforce every positional deduction a player could make manually. For example, reports indicate that a yellow letter may still be entered in the same position where it was previously shown as yellow. You should still avoid that position because the color feedback has already ruled it out.
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Wordle settings for display and accessibility
Open the Settings menu to find additional display options:
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- Dark Theme: switches the interface to a light-on-dark appearance.
- High Contrast Mode: changes the standard green-and-yellow feedback colors to a higher-contrast palette.
- Hard Mode: requires later guesses to use revealed letters.
Why Wordle rejects a word
A guess must contain five letters and appear in Wordle’s accepted-word list. The game may reject a correctly spelled English word if that word is not included in its dictionary. A rejection does not automatically mean that you misspelled the word.
Try another familiar five-letter word if Wordle displays an invalid-word message. You cannot submit a guess until the game recognizes it.
What happens after the puzzle ends
When you solve the puzzle—or use all six guesses—the results screen shows information such as the number of guesses and your streak. Select Share to copy a spoiler-free grid of colored squares representing your result. The shared grid does not reveal the answer, so you can post it without giving away the solution.
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- PLAY WORDLE IN REAL LIFE WITH FRIENDS: Inspired by the popular digital version, Wordle: The Party Game features the same gameplay fans love, but players compete in real life to solve the Wordle
- THE WORD IS … PARTY: Swap solo play for social with this analog version of the Wordle game. Players take turns writing down a 5-letter Secret Word. The others try to guess it in the fewest tries to win
- UNLIMITED PLAY WITH DRY-ERASE BOARDS: No more waiting for a new Wordle game. Use the Wordle dry-erase boards and markers to play as many rounds as there are players. Replay again and again
- 4 WAYS TO WORDLE: Try the classic play or 3 variations. In fast mode, players race to solve the Wordle first. In timed mode, beat the clock—or receive more points. Or compete in groups with team mode
- FRIENDS & FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Break out this fun game for evenings with friends or family game nights. For ages 14 and up, it’s a great gift for adults, teens, Wordle fans, and word puzzle lovers
Wordle releases one puzzle per day, and players worldwide receive the same daily puzzle. The daily reset happens at midnight in your local time zone. Completing a puzzle after that reset can count as the next day’s game and may affect the streak shown in your statistics.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Wordle claims that are misleading
| Claim | What is actually true |
|---|---|
| “Gray means the letter is nowhere in the answer.” | Not always. With repeated letters, gray can mean Wordle has already accounted for all copies in the answer. |
| “Every five-letter English word is accepted.” | No. Wordle uses an accepted-word list, and some legitimate words may be rejected. |
| “Hard Mode fully enforces every deduction.” | Hard Mode requires revealed green and yellow letters to be reused, but it may not enforce every positional rule you could infer. |
| “WordleBot is part of the standard game.” | Wordle itself remains free. WordleBot is a separate analysis tool available to eligible New York Times subscribers. |
A simple approach for solving more consistently
- Enter a normal five-letter opening word with a useful spread of letters.
- Write down or mentally track confirmed greens, misplaced yellows, and eliminated grays.
- Check whether any gray tile came from a repeated letter before removing that letter completely.
- Build the next guess around the confirmed pattern.
- If multiple answers remain, use a guess that tests the letters distinguishing those answers.
- Before submitting a likely answer, check that it satisfies every green position and contains every required yellow letter.
FAQ
How many guesses do you get in Wordle?
You get six attempts to guess the hidden five-letter word.
What does a yellow tile mean in Wordle?
A yellow tile means the letter is in the answer but is in a different position from the one in your guess.
Why did Wordle mark one repeated letter gray?
The answer may contain fewer copies of that letter than your guess. Wordle marks only the number of copies present in the answer, so an extra copy can turn gray.
How do I turn on Wordle Hard Mode?
Open Wordle, select the Settings icon, and turn on Hard Mode. Later guesses must use revealed green and yellow letters.
The Bottom Line
Wordle is a six-guess deduction game: enter a five-letter word, interpret the green, yellow, and gray tiles, and narrow the answer one guess at a time. Pay special attention to repeated letters, because a gray copy may indicate an excess duplicate rather than a completely absent letter.
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