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How to Play Wordle: (Step by Step)

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

– Sherlock Holmes

Are you going to be playing today’s Wordle? Maybe you’re a beginner and would like to know how to play Wordle. That’s terrific! We can help with that.

If you are looking for some Wordle strategies, we’ve got that part covered as well. See Our “Best 3 Wordle Starting Words” Strategy Experiment Below!

But first, let’s take a look at what Wordle actually is along with a bit of history.

What is Wordle?

Wordle is an incredibly popular online and web-based word game puzzle created in 2021 and later sold to the New York Times by software developer Josh Wardle.

Thus, it was given a clever play on the name and called “Wordle!

The actual Wordle game is played on a 5 square by 6 square grid.

Once you get started, you will have 6 chances to guess a 5 letter (secret/hidden) word.

The Wordle gameplay strategy is to guess this 5-letter secret word by using clues in the form of colored coded tiles.

The purpose of these “colored tiles” in the Wordle game grid is to help you to guess the hidden word by providing the following information:

  • Which letters are located in the secret Wordle answer.
  • Which letters are not located in the secret/hidden Wordle answer.
  • Which letters are correct but not located in the correct position in the Wordle answer.
  • And in what position the correct letters are located within the Wordle answer.

Actually, the quickest way to learn how to play Wordle is to get started and: Enter any 5 letter word in the top row.

After entering each word in the Wordle game, the letter tiles will change color.

The strategy to win at Wordle is to use these colored tiles as clues and decide which word to enter next in order in order to correctly guess the (secret/hidden) Wordle answer.

PRO TIP: Improve Your Odds! Check out our “Wordle Best 3 Starting Words Experiment after the tutorial below!

Let’s get started with how to play today’s (and everyday’s) Wordle game step-by-step! ⤵️

How to Play Today’s Wordle Game: (Step by Step)


Image of a completed Wordle game. The words in the Wordle game puzzle are: “using, color, coded, tiles, guess, and words”. The secret Wordle is “words” and is in the last row and is colored green.
Completed Wordle Game Using Custom Wordle.

Image of the Wordle game puzzle and also of the word “guess” as first guessed word of a Wordle game.
In the example game above, Our first guess is the word “Guess”!

Before actually playing Wordle, you will want to go to the official Wordle site at the New York Times which is located here.

1.) Enter Any 5 Letter Word in the Top Row


Using the keyboard under the grid, enter any 5-letter word in the top row.

When you are satisfied with your first-word, press the enter key. The letter tiles will then appear as gray, green, or yellow.


2.) Look For the Wordle Clues in the Colored Tiles


The tiles in the word will change color after each guess and give you clues to solve the game. The 3 colored tiles you will see are:


  1. Gray Wordle Tiles = The letter is (NOT located anywhere in the hidden word).
  2. Yellow Wordle Tiles = The letter IS located in the hidden word (but not in the correct location).
  3. Green Wordle Tiles = The letter IS (located in the hidden word (AND) in the exact position within the hidden word!).

3.) Gray Letters Are (Not Located Anywhere in the Secret Word) 🧐


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The letters “O” and “R” do not appear anywhere in the correct answer which is “CLUES”.
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The Wordle Answer appears in all GREEN when solved correctly.

The letters “O” and “R” appear as gray tiles because they do not appear anywhere within the word (CLUES).

Thus, If the letter tile is gray, that means it does not appear anywhere in the (hidden/secret) Wordle answer.


4.) Yellow Letters Are in the Secret Word But (Not in the Correct Location)🤔


Image of the word “super” as part of the Wordle game.
The yellow letters “S” and “U” ⬆️ are located in the word (“Clues”) ⬇️ but not as the first two letters. Instead they are found below as the 5th and 3rd letters
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Instead, the letters “U” and “S” ⬆️ are located in the 3rd and 5th spot in the word (“Clues”). The Wordle Answer appears in all GREEN when solved correctly.

As you can see, in the above screenshot, the letters “S” and “U” appear yellow.

This means that the correct word (CLUES) contains the letters “S” and “U” (but not as the 1st or 2nd letter).

Thus, when a letter tile turns yellow, it means the letter is located in the answer, (but not in the correct location within the Wordle answer.)


5.) Green Letters Are in the Secret Word And in (Exactly the Correct Location!)😎


Image of the word “guess” as part of the Wordle game.
The last letter “S” is in the exact location within our example secret word which is “Clues”. ⬆️⬇️
Image of a solved Wordle word in our example of how to play Wordle. It is in all green tiles and the word is “CLUES”.
The Wordle Answer appears in all GREEN when solved correctly.

In the example above, the last “S” in the word (Guess) appears in the exact location within our Wordle answer which is (CLUES).

Thus, when a letter tile becomes green, it means that you’ve correctly guessed both the letter AND it’s exact location within the Wordle answer.

6.) Use Logic to Eliminate Different Wordle Possibilities

To make your guesses more accurate, you can use logic to eliminate possibilities.

For example, if the letter “A” is highlighted in green in the first position, you know that the word must start with “A.”

Similarly, if the letter “E” is not highlighted at all, you can eliminate any words that contain “E.”

By using this method, you can narrow down the possibilities and increase your chances of guessing the secret Wordle word correctly.


7.) Keep Guessing Up to 5 More Times!


When playing Wordle you are given 6 attempts to guess the secret Wordle 5 letter word.

After each attempt to guess the secret word, the color coded tiles will continue to give you clues for solving the Wordle game.

8.) Keep Playing and Improving at Wordle

The more you play Wordle, the better you’ll get at it. Keep practicing and trying new strategies to increase your chances of guessing the secret word correctly. And don’t forget to have fun!


Play again with Wordle Unlimited and Custom Wordle! Do you enjoy math? Try Mathdle!


✅ OurBest 3 Wordle Starting Words Strategy Experiment!

Our best advice strategy for winning at Wordle is: To not repeat any of the same letters in your first 3 guesses”.

We decided to conduct a Wordle experiment using this technique as suggested on the Unscramblerer website.

Let’s have a look. ⤵️

Image of a completed Wordle game puzzle played using “STARE”, “DOILY”, and “PUNCH” as the first 3 Wordle starting words as an effective game strategy for how to play Wordle.
HOW TO PLAY WORDLE EXPERIMENT #1

3 of 5 of the correct letters are revealed using (STARE/DOILY/PUNCH) as the first 3 Wordle starting words!

As you can see in our example experiment above, we entered the first 3 Wordle words as: “STARE”, “DOILY”, and “PUNCH”.

Notice that: There are no repeats of the same letters in these three words.

This experiment resulted in 4 of the letters located in the hidden word being revealed

In the 2nd and 3rd guess, 2 of the letters are revealed in the exact location within the hidden word.

Using this method, the Wordle answer was fairly easy to guess!

However, our first experiment seemed too good to be true.

So we repeated our Wordle experiment again 3 more times using the same three words. (We did this by playing an unlimited play version of Wordle game located at Custom Wordle.)

The next 3 successful results of our experiment are revealed in the screenshots below. ⤵️

Image of a completed Wordle game played using “STARE”, “DOILY”, and “PUNCH” as the first 3 Wordle starting words as an effective game strategy for how to play Wordle game.
HOW TO PLAY WORDLE EXPERIMENT #2

All 5 of the correct Wordle letters are revealed using “STARE”, “DOILY”, and “PUNCH” as the first 3 Wordle starting words!
Image of a completed Wordle game using (STARE/DOILY/PUNCH) as the first 3 starting words!
HOW TO PLAY WORDLE EXPERIMENT #3

All 5 of the correct Wordle letters are revealed using “STARE”, “DOILY”, and “PUNCH” as the first 3 Wordle starting words!
Image of a completed Wordle game played using “STARE”, “DOILY”, and “PUNCH” as the first 3 Wordle starting words as an effective game strategy for how to play Wordle.
HOW TO PLAY WORDLE EXPERIMENT #4

3 of the 5 correct Wordle letters are revealed using “STARE”, “DOILY”, and “PUNCH” as the first 3 Wordle starting words!

Our “Winning at Wordle Experiment”was a success! We recommend giving it a try.


Common Five Letter Words and More Best Wordle Starting Words

Unscramblerer (opens in a new tab) offers a complete roundup of common 5 letter words in the English language.

Unscramblerer also has some great ideas for the best first Wordle starting words to improve your odds!

Where to Play Wordle Online


We’ve curated a list of the best places to play Wordle online!

Our list begins with the official Wordle game link. Next, we’ve listed Apps that are worth mentioning (but (are not the official Wordle game located here).

Additionally, the below mentioned Apps also include other related word games.

Ultimately, we top off the list with a few fun places where you can practice and sharpen your Wordle-solving skills! Let’s take a look:⤵️

Popular Wordle Hashtags

Are you’re wanting to learn more about Wordle or join the Wordle community on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or other Social Media sites?

If so, we’ve listed some popular Wordle hashtags below. These hashtags include but are not limited to:

  • #WordleGame
  • #WordleChallenge
  • #WordleStrategies
  • #WordleTips
  • #WordleMaster
  • #WordlePuzzle
  • #WordleSolver
  • #WordleFun
  • #WordleWordplay
  • #WordleAddict
  • #WordleTactics
  • #WordleStrategyGuide
  • #WordleTutorial
  • #TodaysWordle
  • #Wordle (Followed by whatever today’s Wordle number happens to be!)

Certainly! Here’s the revised FAQ section with the requested formatting:


Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do you play Wordle step by step?

A. To play Wordle, you start by guessing a five-letter word. After each guess, the game gives you feedback in the form of colored tiles: green for the correct letter in the right spot, yellow for the correct letter in the wrong spot, and gray for letters not in the word. Use this feedback to make your next guesses, aiming to guess the correct word within six tries.

Q. What is the best strategy for Wordle?

A. A strong Wordle strategy involves starting with a word that has common vowels and consonants, like “arise” or “slate.” These words help you quickly identify potential letters in the secret word. Focus on eliminating letters that aren’t in the word and refining your guesses based on the feedback you receive.

Q. What is a good first word for Wordle?

A. A good first word for Wordle should include multiple vowels and common consonants. Words like “crate,” “slate,” or “adieu” are excellent choices because they help uncover both vowels and common consonants early, giving you valuable clues for your next guesses.

Q. What is the goal of Wordle?

A. The primary goal of Wordle is to guess the secret five-letter word within six attempts. Each guess provides feedback through color-coded tiles, which guide you toward the correct word. The challenge is to solve the puzzle using as few guesses as possible.

Q. How does Wordle work?

A. Wordle selects a random five-letter word each day, and players have six chances to guess it. After each guess, the game displays colored tiles: green for correct letters in the correct position, yellow for correct letters in the wrong position, and gray for letters not in the word. The word is the same for everyone each day, adding a competitive element as players compare their results.

Q. What are the basic rules of Wordle?

A. The basic rules of Wordle are simple: You have six chances to guess a hidden five-letter word. After each guess, you receive feedback in the form of colored tiles that indicate whether the letters are correct and in the right position. The goal is to identify the word within the six attempts.

Q. What are the best Wordle words?

A. The best Wordle words are those that include common letters and vowels. Starting words like “crane,” “stare,” and “slate” are popular because they help identify key letters quickly. Once you have a few letters figured out, use them strategically in your next guesses to narrow down the possibilities.

Q. What is the best word to start with in Wordle?

A. A popular word to start with in Wordle is “arise” because it contains three vowels and two common consonants. This gives you a strong chance of identifying correct letters early in the game. Other good options include “slate” and “crane.”

Q. What is the best second word in Wordle?

A. The best second word in Wordle depends on the feedback from your first guess. If you have some green or yellow letters, choose a word that includes those letters in different positions and avoids gray letters. For example, if you started with “slate” and got some useful feedback, a follow-up word like “crimp” might be a good choice.

Q. What is statistically the best Wordle starting word?

A. Statistically, the best Wordle starting word might be “crane” or “slate,” as these words contain common letters and vowels that are frequently found in the English language. Studies and analyses often favor these words because they maximize your chances of getting valuable feedback on your first guess.

Q. What is the Wordle trick?

A. The Wordle trick involves using strategic starting words with common letters and vowels to get as much feedback as possible from the first guess. Then, use the information from the colored tiles to make educated guesses. Eliminating possible letters quickly and refining your guesses based on the feedback is key to solving the puzzle efficiently.

Q. What is the best strategy for Wordle?

A. The best Wordle strategy is to start with a word that includes common vowels and consonants, such as “arise” or “slate.” After receiving feedback, make sure your subsequent guesses use this information to rule out as many possibilities as possible. Be strategic with your guesses, considering both the placement and frequency of letters.

Q. What is the strategy for Wordle?

A. The strategy for Wordle revolves around maximizing the efficiency of your guesses. Start with a word that gives you a broad range of common letters, then use the feedback to eliminate wrong letters and hone in on the correct word. Focus on the placement of letters, and use your attempts wisely to narrow down the possibilities.

Q. What 5 words can you use for Wordle?

A. Using these five words—“slate,” “crane,” “flour,” “tiger,” and “mound”—can help cover a wide range of common letters and vowels. This strategy increases the chances of uncovering key letters early in the game, which you can then use to make more informed guesses in subsequent rounds.


Summary

In conclusion, Wordle is a fun and addictive word game that’s perfect for anyone looking to test their vocabulary and critical thinking skills.

By following these steps and using some logical thinking, you can improve your chances of guessing the word correctly and becoming a Wordle master.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and try playing Wordle today!


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