Wordicle: five Wordle spin-offs to pick your brain
We’ve all witnessed Wordle, the guessing game of five letters, plague the internet these past few months. Or at the least, we’ve wondered what’s gotten into those who play. In this monstrosity of a brain teaser, players are given six chances to correctly guess the word of the day. Letters that appear green are in the right spot, and those that appear yellow are in the wrong spot.
Everyone’s tweeting little colored blocks to show the fifteen minutes they wasted staring at a scrambled alphabet and a grayed out keyboard. They sit there intently, typing out words they know don’t exist, grasping onto hope that one of them goes through.
This includes you! Don’t try to tell me that you don’t analyze every five-letter word you see throughout the day and think, “That could be tomorrow’s Wordle.”
You play each day, all while trying to explain the game to the friend that’s hovering over your shoulder and as someone who’s already played stares at you with a look of condescension. Who knew that guessing words like “vivid,” “other,” or “seven” could heighten your ego beyond the Willis Tower?
There is a catch. I do not consider you to be a true Wordle player unless you follow these rules.
- No packing vowels into your first guess. Don’t use words like ‘ADIEU’ or ‘AUDIO’: it lacks thrill and is essentially cheating.
- Play with your own brain. No using Google or asking people who have already played.
- Work smarter, not harder. Eliminate letters and be strategic with your guesses- you’re not above turning ‘hard mode’ off.
- Play in dark mode. Light mode is unacceptable.
If you’ve played Wordle with integrity, I’m sure you’ve craved more. These addictive Wordle spin-offs might fulfill your desires (and erase anything of importance from your mind), either filling it with frustration or providing some entertainment.
If you like playing a singular game of Wordle, why not play two simultaneously? “Dordle” by zaratustra fulfills your alphabet desires twice. Both Wordle games run at the same time, giving you six tries in total to guess both words correctly. There are different ways to go about this: you can guess one word at a time or attempt to tackle both at once. If you’re looking for a greater challenge, try out “Quordle” or “Octordle.” All these games are great sources of entertainment, or migraines.
Speaking of migraines, this game can and will have a sane person tearing out their hair and jumping hurdles in girdles, running in circles trying to escape. “Nerdle,” the daily numbers game, reinforces your hatred for math, granting you six guesses to find the day’s equation. With four operations and eight spaces, “Nerdle” is a great way to inflict deep, visceral pain on yourself.
Finally feeling better? Get ready to cry again! “Absurdle” by qntm brings you back to the alphabet, but doesn’t get any easier. According to its official website, “Absurdle” reveals as little information as possible, changing the secret word if need be. Words are eliminated as you guess them, and you are only right once you have exhausted all other options. There’s a much more extensive explanation on the page, but no one has the time to understand it.
Okay, let’s take a break from characters altogether. Music? Everyone likes music, so let’s make it competitive! “Heardle” provides players with a snippet of a popular song and six tries to guess it. Each chance reveals a slightly longer segment, both heightening your chances to guess the word and crushing your ego.
This variation has to be one of my favorites. “Cross Wordle” is very similar to the standard Wordle, but it allows you to build words off of each other, creating a crossword–hence the title. With six rows of six squares and the ability to move up and down the board, this variation is engaging, challenging players to optimize their guesses.
From the pure agony of “Nerdle” to the uncertainty of “Absurdle,” these Wordle offshoots will keep you occupied for hours. If you need an escape from the chaotic world around you, or, more likely, are looking to procrastinate things that actually matter, you’ll find your answer in one of these spin-offs.
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