Sugar, wrung, humor, perky and light. These five letter words may seem like they have nothing to do with each other, but they have all been answers to the hit online word puzzle Wordle. This simple puzzle gives players one mystery five letter word once per day. After guessing an initial five letter word, the game tells you whether or not you correctly guessed the letters that create the secret word and if they are in the correct placement by turning the guessed letters green, yellow or gray. With this information, you have six guesses to get the word right. 

Josh Wardle, a software engineer based in Brooklyn, New York, is the sole creator of the popular puzzle. Wordle — which is a play on his last name — was originally engineered in 2013 when Wardle created the game’s first ever prototype. However, Wardle initially scrapped the game after he showed it to some friends who were uninterested in the concept. 7 years later, when the COVID-19 pandemic drove him and his puzzle-loving partner, Palak Shah, into quarantine, Wardle brought the game to life for them to play together. After seeing how much fun they had with the daily puzzle, he uploaded it to the internet in October, 2021. And the game went from a personal gift to a viral sensation in only three months.

On Nov. 1, 2021, there were only 90 players who finished the puzzle according to Wardle. Today, there are millions of players finding the daily word, flooding social media platforms with hashtags, tweets and posts about the puzzle, sharing tips online on optimal starting words and competing with their friends to see who can solve the puzzle in the least amount of tries. 

One of these players is Upper School English Teacher Stacy Van Beek, who originally found out about the game through a New York Times article and social media. 

“I noticed a feature of the game where you could share your daily Wordle results without spoiling the word on social media, and I think that competitive and social element is really great. Seeing all of those, I became so curious and wanted to try it for myself.” Van Beek said. “It’s such a fun brain teaser that you can do in such a short amount of time.” 

Seeing all the traction Wordle has generated online, The New York Times bought the game on Jan. 31, adding to the publications collection of word puzzles. According to The New York Times, the game was bought for a price “in the low seven figures,” and will initially remain free to play.