How to Play Wordle
A friend sends you a grid of green and yellow squares, and you've no idea how to play Wordle or what those colors mean. Wordle is a daily word game where you get six tries to guess a hidden five-letter word, with colored tiles telling you how close each guess came.
Below, you'll learn how to play Wordle step by step: the rules, what each color means, a real game played out guess by guess and the double-letter rule that trips up new players. Then you'll pick up four habits that make you better fast.
What are the rules of Wordle?
Guess the hidden five-letter word in six tries or fewer. After every guess, each tile changes color to show how close you are, everyone in the world gets the same word, and a new puzzle starts at midnight your time.
That's really all there is to how to play Wordle, and everything else is strategy you'll pick up as you go. Here are the rules in full:
- Every guess must be a real five-letter word from Wordle's list.
- You get six guesses, and there's one puzzle a day.
- Letters can repeat, both in your guesses and in the answer.
- The game is free on The New York Times website and in the NYT Games app.
What do the colors mean in Wordle?
Green means the right letter in the right spot. Yellow means the letter is in the word but belongs somewhere else. Gray means the letter isn't in the word at all, so you can stop using it in your later guesses.
| Tile | Color | What it means | What to do next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Right letter in the right spot | Keep it there | |
| Yellow | Letter is in the word, wrong spot | Try it in a different spot | |
| Gray | Letter isn't in the word | Don't use it again |
What does a full game of Wordle look like?
Here's a real puzzle, Wordle #1102 from June 25, 2024. The answer was SAVOR, and it took three guesses to solve. The colors below are exactly what the game showed, with a short note under each guess.
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Guess 1: CRANE
CRANER and A are yellow, so they belong somewhere else, while C, N and E are gray and can be ruled out.
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Guess 2: SOLAR
SOLARS and R are green, so they're locked in place, while O and A are yellow, so they belong somewhere else, while L is gray and can be ruled out.
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Guess 3: SAVOR
SAVORAll five tiles turn green. Solved in three guesses.
Notice the pattern, because it sums up how to play Wordle well. The first guess tested common letters. The second kept the clues in play and moved the yellow letters to new spots. After two guesses, only two valid words fit, SAVOR and the rare SAPOR, so the everyday word was the obvious pick.
How do double letters work in Wordle?
Each copy of a letter gets its own color, but only the copies the answer actually contains light up, and the extra copies turn gray. That rule trips up new players, so here are two real examples from past puzzles.
BOOST played against ROBOT (Wordle #215)
EERIE played against LEVER (Wordle #1574)
In the first, ROBOT has two Os, so both Os in BOOST are colored. In the second, LEVER has two Es, so only two of the three Es in EERIE light up and the third turns gray. Learn that rule and you've covered the trickiest part of how to play Wordle.
Pro Tip
A gray tile on a repeated letter doesn't mean the letter is missing. It means the answer has fewer copies than you guessed. Check the other copy's color before you rule it out.
How do you get better at Wordle?
Start every game with a strong opener, then use your second guess to test five new letters. Once you have clues to work with, stop guessing at random and think about which words still fit, because that habit alone saves guesses.
Now that you know how to play Wordle, here are the four habits we'd build first:
- Pick one of the best starting words and stick with it.
- Use guess two on fresh letters, even if you already have a green.
- Count the words that still fit before guessing again.
- When you're stuck, open a hint instead of wasting a guess.
Our Wordle tips and strategy guide goes deeper, and the solver shows the number of words each guess leaves. If you're curious who runs the game, read about NYT Wordle. Ready to try it? Here are today's clues.
How to play Wordle FAQs
How many guesses do you get in Wordle?
Six. Each guess must be a real five-letter word, and if you solve it within six tries, your streak continues. If not, the game shows you the answer and your streak goes back to zero.
Can you play more than one Wordle a day?
The official game gives you one new puzzle a day, and it's the same word for everyone. You can practise on older puzzles with our hint pages, which cover every past Wordle and make a great way to learn how to play Wordle without waiting for tomorrow.
Does Wordle accept any five-letter word?
Only words in Wordle's own list, which is the first rule of how to play Wordle. Random letter strings and proper nouns are rejected, and a rejected word doesn't use up one of your six guesses, so just try another word.
What happens with double letters in Wordle?
Each copy of a letter is colored separately. Guess two Os when the answer has one, and only one O is colored while the other turns gray. When the answer has two Os, both light up.
What is hard mode in Wordle?
A setting that forces you to use every clue. Green letters must stay in place and yellow letters must appear in each later guess. You turn it on in the settings before your first guess of the day.
How do you share your Wordle result?
When you finish, tap Share. Wordle copies a grid of colored squares that shows how your game went without revealing any letters, so you can post it without spoiling the puzzle for friends.
Ready for your first game?
Then put what you've learned about how to play Wordle to work on today's puzzle. Play your first guess, read the colors and keep our spoiler-free hints in your back pocket in case you get stuck along the way.