Word Guess

About Word Guess

Word Guess was created in 2021 by software engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner. In late 2021 and early 2022, it went viral thanks to its shareable green-and-yellow grid results, and was eventually purchased by The New York Times.

Each day, players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word. After every guess, the letters are colored: green for the right letter in the right spot, yellow for the right letter in the wrong spot, and gray for letters not in the word at all. The limit of one puzzle per day is part of what made it such a social phenomenon.

How to Play

Controls: Type any valid five-letter word on your keyboard and press ENTER to submit your guess. Use BACKSPACE to delete letters.

Objective: Figure out the hidden five-letter word in six guesses or fewer using the color feedback from each guess.

Tips & Strategy

• Start with a word that uses five common, different letters. Words like CRANE, SLATE, or ADIEU cover a lot of ground.
• Use your second guess to test another batch of common letters rather than reusing letters from the first.
• Do not waste a guess on a word that contradicts the yellow and green hints you already have.
• Keep an eye on less obvious letter positions. Yellow letters often need to be placed in spots you would not expect.
• Remember that the answer can reuse letters — do not rule out repeated letters until you have tested for them.