Background

Wordle, acquired by The New York Times (NYT) in 2022, is a daily word-guessing puzzle that became a cultural phenomenon. Players have six attempts to guess a five-letter English word. After each guess, tiles change color: green for correct letter in correct spot, yellow for correct letter in wrong spot, and gray for letters not in the word. Simple rules and social sharing helped Wordle spread widely; its NYT stewardship has focused on preserving the casual, communal experience.