Few daily games have woven themselves into the fabric of the morning routine quite like Wordle. Whether you’re a seasoned solver or a newcomer, this guide covers starting-word strategies, how to play free, and the changes since NYT’s acquisition.

4 related posts

  1. Visit the NYT Wordle page at nytimes.com/games/wordle.
  2. Enter a five-letter word as your first guess.
  3. Observe the color feedback: green for correct letter and position, yellow for correct letter wrong position, gray for not in word.
  4. Use the feedback to make your next guess.
  5. Continue until you solve the word in six tries or less.
  6. Share your result if desired.

Daily players: millions worldwide ·
Number of guesses allowed: 6 ·
Year acquired by The New York Times: 2022 ·
Typical recommended starting word: CRANE or SLATE ·
Wordle answer list size: 2,309 words (original)

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Exact future changes to the answer list
  • Whether Wordle will ever require a subscription
3Timeline signal
  • Official archive launched to subscribers on May 7, 2024 (Fast Company)
  • WordleBot’s preferred start word changed to TRACE in January 2024 (The New York Times)
4What’s next

Six key facts about Wordle, from its origin to its current features:

Attribute Value
Creator Josh Wardle
Original release October 2021
Acquired by NYT January 2022
Daily puzzles Yes, one per day
Number of guesses 6
Word length 5 letters

What Is the Best Word to Start With in Wordle?

  • CRANE is widely recommended based on letter frequency and positioning analysis by the Wordle community (The New York Times (WordleBot analysis)).
  • SLATE, ADIEU, and SOARE are also popular choices among top players.
  • Statistical analysis favors words with common consonants and vowels, maximizing the chance of identifying correct letters early.

The implication: The best start word isn’t a fixed answer. WordleBot’s preferred opening guess changed from SLATE to TRACE on January 10, 2024, reflecting updated analysis of the answer list. In hard mode, TROPE took the top spot instead. Your mileage varies by play style.

What Is the Best Second Word in Wordle?

The best second word depends entirely on the result of your first guess. A good framework, though, covers remaining common letters efficiently.

Examples of effective second guesses

  • LINES — covers L, I, N, E, S after a typical opener with common consonants.
  • CLINT — introduces C, L, I, N, T, many of which appear frequently.
  • PROSE — works well if your first word didn’t include P, R, or O.

What this means: The strategy is iterative. If your first word reveals no letters, your second guess should test a completely new set of high-frequency letters. If you got a green or yellow, narrow accordingly.

What Is the 3-Word Wordle Trick?

A popular strategy among advanced players aims to eliminate as many letters as possible in the first three guesses.

How the trick works

  • The trick uses three starting words to cover 15 different letters.
  • A classic set: CRANE, SLIMY, DOUBT.
  • It increases the chance of identifying the correct letters early, often leaving only one or two possible solutions.
The trade-off

Using the 3-word trick may reduce your chance of solving in two or three guesses, but it dramatically increases your solve rate overall — a worthy exchange for players who prioritize not breaking their streak.

The implication: The 3-word trick trades early solves for higher overall success rate, making it a strategic choice for streak-focused players.

How Do I Access The New York Times Wordle for Free?

Wordle remains free to play on the NYT website for all players. No account, no subscription required.

  • Free access via the website: Visit nytimes.com/games/wordle directly. No login needed.
  • Using the NYT Games app: Wordle is free in the app, but some features — including the full archive of past puzzles — require a Games or All Access subscription (Fast Company).

The catch: The free tier gives you the daily puzzle, streak tracking, and sharing. The official archive (over 1,000 puzzles) and leaderboard are subscription-only, as confirmed by The New York Times Company on May 7, 2024.

Did The New York Times Change Wordle?

Yes — and the changes have been significant. The acquisition brought new features, a different word list, and some controversy.

History of Wordle under NYT

  • NYT acquired Wordle in January 2022, stating it would initially remain free (Yahoo Finance UK reported the acquisition).
  • In February 2022, Wordle moved to the NYT website; the answer list was unchanged at first.
  • A leaderboard and daily streaks were added in 2023.
  • In 2024, the official archive launched to subscribers (NYT Company press release).

Controversies over word removals

  • The answer list was edited, removing words deemed inappropriate. Words like “fetus” and “pulse” were removed in 2022 and 2024.
  • This editing reportedly caused one day to have two different solutions depending on the platform (TheGamer).
  • An unofficial Wordle archive that allowed access to past puzzles was taken down at the request of The New York Times in March 2022 (Screen Rant).
Why this matters

The answer list changes mean that strategies and word frequency analyses from before late 2022 may be outdated. The official archive avoids affecting your current streak, as confirmed by Fast Company, but the game you play today is not identical to the one Josh Wardle originally released.

“I wanted a game that was fun and limited to one per day.”

— Josh Wardle, Wordle creator

“We aim to ensure the game remains appropriate for a broad audience.”

— NYT spokesperson, on word removals

For the millions of daily players, the choice is clear: keep using the free daily puzzle with a strong starting word like CRANE or TRACE, or subscribe for the full archive and leaderboard. The game changes, but the core — five letters, six guesses, one puzzle a day — remains as compelling as it was in October 2021.

Additional sources

lifehacker.com, connectionshintz.com, loveandscience.com, eurogamer.net, youtube.com

Understanding the history of Wordle helps players appreciate why certain word choices have been removed from the game’s dictionary.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Wordle still free on The New York Times?

Yes. The daily puzzle is free on the NYT website without any subscription or account. Some features like the archive and leaderboard require a Games or All Access subscription.

How do I share my Wordle results?

After solving (or losing), the game generates a spoiler-free grid of colored squares. You can copy and paste it into social media or messaging apps. The share button is located below the puzzle.

Can I play Wordle in other languages?

The official NYT Wordle is English-only. However, independent versions exist for other languages, though they are not affiliated with The New York Times.

What happens if I miss a day of Wordle?

Your streak resets to zero. The daily puzzle is available for 24 hours, and after that it becomes part of the archive (accessible only to subscribers).

Does Wordle have an app for iOS or Android?

Wordle is available through the NYT Games app on both iOS and Android. The daily puzzle is free in the app; the archive and leaderboard require a subscription.

How are Wordle answers chosen?

The original answer list of 2,309 words was curated by Josh Wardle. After the NYT acquisition, the list was edited and continues to be curated for appropriateness and difficulty. Answers are not randomly chosen; they follow a predetermined schedule.

What is the difference between Wordle and Quordle?

Wordle gives you one word to solve per day. Quordle challenges you to solve four 5-letter words simultaneously using a shared set of guesses. Both games are free, but Quordle is not owned by The New York Times.

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