If you’re anything like me, the Wordle has become a daily ritual. The puzzle, which allows 6 tries to guess a five-letter word, is akin to brushing my teeth. If I forget to do it, the rest of my day turns into a waiting game. I’ve always loved crossword puzzles, and this is like a shorter (and probably easier) brain teaser. I definitely think that part of the appeal of the Wordle is that it’s pretty hard to fail. People like to keep doing things that they’re good at.
But the Wordle has become more than just a simple mind game for me. As I’m studying abroad right now, it’s become a way to stay connected with both friends and family. Although I do get a five-hour head start due to the different time zone, sending Wordle scores to my siblings, parents, and grandparents is an easy way to keep in touch daily. I also have a group chat with my high school girlfriends where we send our scores along with different versions of the game:
-lewdle (bad words) https://www.lewdlegame.com
-worldle (country wordle) https://worldle.teuteuf.fr
-taylordle (taylor swift wordle) taylordle.com
-mathdle (math) https://www.mathler.com/)
I especially love being able to share the Wordle with my grandma. Hearing her successes (and struggles) feels like a little bit of home is here with me in a different country. She and my mom always encouraged me to read as a little kid, towing me to the library and Barnes & Noble, and I definitely inherited my love of words and literature from them. Though the puzzle can feel like a way to kill time, I also see it as a reminder of how I came to know some of the tricky words in the first place.
My brother, a freshman at Holy Cross, (who also always does the Wordle at a ripe 12 am) is another member in the family group chat that I love to hear from. It’s not always easy to keep in touch with people at home when their 10pm is my 3am, but waking up to my brother’s Wordle score is a friendly reminder that the people who I love and care about are thinking of me, too.
Sure, all puzzles can be frustrating and competitive at times, but all-in-all the Wordle has become a daily source of happiness and light for me. It brings me closer to my friends and family while also helping to get my brain moving for the day.