A Step-by-Step Guide to Play Wordle for Free

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Learn all the rules of this popular online word game

Co-authored by Cheyenne Main Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: December 6, 2024 Fact Checked

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• How to Play
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• Where to Play
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• Tips, Tricks, & Best Words
|
• Video
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• Expert Q&A
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• Tips

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ARTICLE

VIDEO

Are you curious about how to play Wordle, the viral puzzle that's taken the world by storm? The premise of Wordle is simple—you have to guess a five-letter word in six tries. We'll show you where to find Wordle on the web, teach you the rules of the game, share your results with friends, and give you all the tips and tricks you'll need to become a Wordle pro!

Playing Wordle

Type a 5-letter word and press “enter” to see if any letters in it are also in today’s word. Green tiles mean you’ve guessed the correct letter in the correct place in the word. A yellow tile means you guessed a letter that’s in the word but isn’t in the right spot. A grey tile means the letter is not in today’s word.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

How do you play Wordle?

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1. 1
   Enter a 5-letter word. You'll have 6 chances to guess the 5-letter word of the day, so make every guess count! Try using a word that contains many different letters to narrow down your future guesses. Type your first guess, and then press or click Enter to see if you've matched any letters.
2. 2
   Check the tile colors. After you make a guess, the tile colors will change:

   • A green tile indicates that you've guessed the correct letter in the correct place in the word.
   • A yellow tile means you've guessed a letter that's in the word, but not in the right spot.
   • A gray tile means that letter is not in today's word.
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3. 3
   Guess another word. Use the clues you got from your first guess to try again. Remember, don't reuse any of the gray letters, as they are definitely not in today's Wordle.

   • If you correctly guessed a letter at the correct position (a green tile), make sure to use that letter at that position in your second guess.
   • Letters can appear more than once in the same word.
4. 4
   Continue entering your guesses until all letters are green. When you've correctly guessed the word, you'll see a pop-up window with your statistics, as well as a countdown timer that tells you how long it'll be until the next Wordle is available.
5. 5
   Share your score. If you want to show others how you did, click the Share button to copy a colorful grid that you can paste into a new tweet, Facebook post, email, or instant message.

   • Since everybody is playing the same Wordle puzzle, your results won't divulge the word of the day to your friends and followers.
   • You can return to your statistics (and the Share button) at any time by clicking the bar graph icon at the top of Wordle.
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Section 2 of 3:

Where can I play Wordle?

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1. 1
   You can play Wordle at https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html. To play Wordle on IOS and Android devices, download the official New York Times Games app here. You’ll also find many other games there, like the Crossword, Spelling Bee, Connections, and Sudoku.

   • While other mobile apps in the App Store and Play Store have "Wordle" in their titles, they are not the real Wordle. They're fine to play, but if you want the real Wordle, these are not it.
2. 2
   There is only one Wordle puzzle per day. If you don't guess the Wordle of the day, you'll have to wait until midnight to guess a new 5-letter word.
   

   Josh Wardle, Creator of Wordle

   The constraints of Wordle beget creativity. "What's fun about playing Wordle, I think, is where you can kind of tease out what the word should be, based on what you know about language."
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Section 3 of 3:

Tips, Tricks, & Best Words

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1. 1
   For your first guess, pick a word that contains at least three vowels. The goal of your starting word is to narrow down the options for the remaining guesses. Using three vowels is a great way to narrow down the options for subsequent words. Try any of these multi-vowel words for a top-notch first guess:

   • Cause
   • Irate
   • Adieu
   • Radio
   • Abode
   • Hokey
   • Audio
2. 2
   Consider possible words based on the results of your first guess. If you've selected a good first word, you should have some yellow and/or green tiles to work with. Think of some 5-letter words that contain those letters but don't contain any of the gray (incorrect) guesses.
3. 3
   Pay attention to the positions of yellow tiles. A yellow tile means that letter is in the Wordle of the day, but not at the position you've guessed. Consider the most common locations of the yellow letters in 5-letter words you know. For example, if you have a yellow K in the second position of your first guess, you might try placing it in the 5th position instead—many 5-letter words end with ck.
4. 4
   Don't reuse gray tiles. If you've already tried a letter that isn't in today's Wordle, remember not to include it in your second or subsequent guesses.
5. 5
   Think about letters that commonly appear together in words. Many letters often appear in sets of two or three in English. Some common examples that can help you narrow down tougher words:

   • At the beginning of a word:
     • tr
     • th
     • cr
     • br
     • qu
   • At the end of a word:
     • ck
     • ng
     • ny
   • Vowel combos:
     • ai
     • ea
     • ou
6. 6
   Search the web for 5-letter words. Some may consider this a Wordle cheat, but it can be helpful in a pinch. Try searching the web for "5 letter words that start with TR" for inspiration.
7. 7
   Some Wordles contain more than one of the same letter. If you're running into trouble after three guesses, try reusing or doubling green or yellow vowels or consonants. For example, "Creep" or "Grill."
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  My share button just says it's been copied to the clipboard and I can't do anything with it. No option to copy so I can't paste to facebook. I guess I need actual step-by-step instructions.

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA
  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA

  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Expert Answer

  When you click "Share," it's just like clicking "Copy." After clicking "Share," create a new Facebook post, right-click on the typing area (the place where you'd type your new post), and then click "Paste" to paste in your grid.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 10 Helpful 18
• Question

  The color scheme on the Wordle game on my Android phone switched to dark tones, and I want to switch back to the former color scheme.

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA
  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA

  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Expert Answer

  Now that Wordle is hosted by the New York Times, the color scheme is different than the old version.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 7 Helpful 11
• Question

  Will the words ever be repeated?

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA
  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA

  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Expert Answer

  So far, no words have been repeated. But after about 2300 5-letter dictionary words, you can expect to see duplicates--if Wordle is still around, that is!

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 4 Helpful 11

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Tips

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

• Try changing your first word every day so you can have a better chance of getting the Wordle in fewer tries.

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