Why I Wordle and You Should Too

It’s fun. It’s a lightweight challenge. And it’s either a mini win or a shrugged-off loss that doesn’t mean anything. Don’t you think we need more of this in life? I do, and that’s why I Wordle.

Of course, words are a huge part of my business, but Wordle really has zero impact on my writing. At first, I was all like, “daily words = better writing.” I don’t think I’ve used a Wordle word in my writing at all and I write every day for clients. I also play the New York Times Spelling Bee and Mini Crossword. Those words have a lot better chance of making it into my copywriting.

Sam Sanders of NPR said it best. “The true appeal of Wordle is that it’s not too difficult. Most players win more than they lose. It’s a small daily win that is predictable and rarely overwhelming. What we all need more of these days are things that aren’t too difficult.”

 It’s really not that difficult, which is probably why so many people post their scores and why so many people, like me, don’t post their scores. (I’m pretty good though – check my stats!)

 So have some fun, Wordle along. Here are a few of my strategies:

• Pick a new five-letter word every day. You’ll start to notice more words that are five letters throughout your day. Today, my son’s Mickey Mouse PJs intrigued me to start with “mouse,” but since yesterday’s word had an M I decided to go with “house” for the first guess and then got “humor” on the second guess.

• Use the Wheel of Fortune strategy – pick words that include R, S, T, L, N or E, but also mix it up with words that have multiple vowels. (Ex: cream, ready, vague, pause)

•  When you get a yellow or green letter indicating it’s in the word, use it. Don’t start from scratch if you get stumped. This is the critical thinking / difficult component but in the same sense the “duh” part. There’s only a few, or sometimes, one word that it can actually be. Like, I’m not sure what else humor could’ve been, given that I knew it included an H, O and U.

•  Try out double letters from time to time. Words like “skill” can be the trickiest.

•  Remember, there’s no rhyme or reason to Wordle, so just shrug if you don’t get it. There’s no clue or a category. It’s just blind guessing. So when I guessed “jerky” (thinking of beef) and the word was “perky,” there’s absolutely nothing I could’ve done differently, except for of course picked a first word that includes a P. And that’s why tip #1 is so important.

Tweet me to let me know if you're having fun with Wordle and what strategies you use. Happy Wordling and remember to keep it fun!