Do you W _ _ D _ E?

What is five letters long and takes not more than six tries? Well, if you haven’t guessed the answer to this riddle, you must be living under a rock or on another planet. Yes, I’m referring to the game, Wordle, that has taken the internet world by storm. Originally created by Josh Wardle for his partner some time last year, it gathered momentum and is now played around the world.

All those complaints about spending too much time on the ‘net goes down the chute as we now have a good reason to do so. Apart from keeping you occupied, playing this word-game helps rejuvenate ageing brain cells (much like crosswords purportedly do) and prevents many an unnecessary argument, even if your significant other is spoiling for a fight, as you’ll have your head bent over your screen in an attempt to configure the next word and see how many skittles are stumped (which in Wordle parlance means how many letters you can get right).

Wordle is as much a game of luck as it is of skill; if you’re lucky enough to get many letters right in the first attempt, you can often guess the correct word in the second or third attempt. And if you’re not so lucky it’s even better, as you are giving your brain-cells a proper workout by making them go through all kinds of mental callisthenics to arrive at the right answer.

If you trawl through the internet, you’ll see post after digital post on how to crack Wordle, right from the best first words to use to start off the game to articles on whether Wordle is getting harder, to (I lie not) a song which is a parody of the famous song ‘A whole new world’ aptly titled ‘A whole new Wordle!’ There is even an investigative article about the country that leads in guessing the right word, and it is Sweden. UAE is not very far from the top, and comes at a comfortable 11 on the list of fifty. Go, UAE, go! You can definitely up your ranking on this list.

Me time

As an ardent Wordler, every morning, after my daily chores, I log in for some ‘me time.’ If I get the answer in three tries, I am ecstatic. I usually average four tries, but sometimes it is five, and once or twice I’ve been saved by the skin of my teeth and got it in the sixth and last attempt. I then share my score with my friends, also ardent Wordlers, and if it’s been extra hard (for me) I write a small comment like ‘this was a bummer.’ And if it is a very easy word that I didn’t get until the fifth or sixth try, I write a rude and self-deprecating remark that cannot be printed

There are many spin-offs of Wordle. Another game which I try after my daily Wordle fix is Quordle. This involves guessing four different words in nine attempts. It sounds tough but it isn’t. Once you get the first word, the others are relatively easy.

Apart from Wordle and Quordle, there’s also Dordle, Stackle, and (if you are mathematically inclined), Nerdle too. There are many more, of course, but these are the ones I know of.

Now, if you’re wondering what all this is about, I suggest you get on to the ‘net right now and type in Wordle, and wait for the magic to unfold.

I wonder, will Wordle die its own death until the next game-changer (pun intended) comes along and usurps its place? Or will it, like the crossword, be there forever and aye? Only time will tell.

Padmini Sankar is a Dubai-based author and freelance writer