With its enduring popularity across the English-speaking world, it's hard to believe that Wordle didn't even exist in its final form a short decade ago.
New York-based software engineer Josh Wardle, creator of the popular brainteaser, worked on completing the development of Wordle during the COVID-19 pandemic—several years after coming up with the initial idea.
"I built a prototype of Wordle in 2013," Wardle told Newsweek in 2022. "Functionally it's almost the same as the one we have now, with the biggest difference being that the older version allowed endless play. In other words, you could just keep on going until you had your fill.
"The idea to impose a limitation came when my partner and I started getting into crosswords during the pandemic. In particular, The New York Times have this puzzle called 'Spelling Bee,' which has this once-a-day model that I thought was really effective."
After enjoying the game privately, Wardle decided to host the game on a public website. Following its debut in October 2021, Wordle exploded from 90 users on November 1 of that year to 300,000 on January 2, 2022, according to figures by Statista.
Such was the popularity of the game that The New York Times purchased it in January 2022 for an undisclosed low seven-figure fee.
"I liked the idea that everyone around the world was trying to solve the exact same word at the exact same time," Welsh-born Wardle told Newsweek. "It created a shared communal experience. [If] there were multiple puzzles to solve and everyone was at a different stage, then there wouldn't be that kind of conversation, which I think is the most fulfilling part of Wordle."
With the daily brainteaser often leaving players stumped, Erhan Aslan, an expert in applied linguistics who teaches at the University of Reading in the U.K., previously provided some useful advice for Wordle players in an interview with Newsweek.
"One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen," Aslan said. "Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful."
"Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j, or x, for instance, may not be the best choice. As you get more feedback after a few guesses, users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking," Aslan added.
Newsweek has supplied some helpful clues below for today's Wordle puzzle. The answer to today's puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so please scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself.
'Wordle' #915, Clues for Thursday, December 21
Newsweek has put together five hints to help you figure out today's Wordle puzzle.
Hint #1: Today's answer contains two vowels.
Hint #2: The first letter is a consonant.
Hint #3: There are no repeated letters.
Hint #4: Today's answer is as an adjective.
Hint #5: The correct answer applies to construction.
'Wordle' #915 Answer for Thursday, December 21
Today's Wordle answer is "Built."
Did you guess correctly? If you didn't, you're not alone. Wardle admitted to Newsweek that he needed several guesses to crack each game.
"[My partner] and I play it on the couch together each morning," Wardle said. "She will consistently get it in three goes, which is way, way better than I can ever hope to achieve. I normally need at least four or five attempts."
Wordle updates every day at midnight, at which point the next puzzle becomes available. Players who would like something to keep themselves busy while they wait can have a go at similar word-based puzzles such as Typochondria and Spellspire.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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