VOA词汇掌故2022--Wordle: The Game that Quickly Became an Internet Hit

You might have heard of the word game Wordle. Maybe you have even tried the game yourself. The online puzzle has become so popular that some people cannot go a day without it. Many players share their game results on social media.

On November 1, only 90 people had ever played Wordle. Within two months, that number had grown to 300,000. Social media users – especially famous people – helped grow the popularity¹ of the game.

Wordle is a very simple game. That may be why its popularity spread so quickly and widely. Compared to many other computer games, the design is also very simple. It contains just 30 empty squares appearing under the name "WORDLE."

Players get six chances to guess a five-letter word that has been chosen by the game for that day. The goal is to guess the word in the least number of tries.

To start, players enter a real word. Then, the letters turn different colors to provide the player clues about the word. A green letter means the letter is in the word and is in the right position. Yellow means the letter appears in the word but is in the wrong place. A gray letter means it does not appear in the word at all.

The game is web-based, not an app. So, users do not need to download it. It is also free to play. Users can play the game once per day.

Wordle was created by Josh Wardle, a New York software engineer. He said he first made it for his partner, who likes playing word games like crossword² puzzles. But he decided³ in October to release it publicly. The game immediately took off.

It became so successful that the New York Times recently announced it had bought the game from Wardle. The newspaper did not say exactly how much it paid for the game. But it did say the price was in "the low seven figures." The Times is already known for its wildly popular crossword puzzle and other games.

The decision immediately drew criticism from some fans on social media. Many said they feared the newspaper would not keep the game free for users. The Times currently⁴ requires users to pay for a subscription⁵ to read news content on its website. It also offers unlimited⁶ online game play for $1.25 a week.

In a statement, the newspaper said, "at the time it moves to The New York Times, Wordle will be free to play for new and existing players, and no charges will be made to its gameplay."

In a message on Twitter, Wardle said he was pleased with the deal. He suggested he was working with the Times to make sure the game would remain free. He added that the game had "gotten bigger than I ever imagined." And he noted⁷ that users had shared stories about how the game had helped unite distant family members and supported those recovering from sickness.

As Wordle has grown, so has the number of experts offering advice for the best ways to play the game. One language expert, David Sidhu, recently gave his opinion on the best words to start a game with. And the website Bustle⁸ offered a series of tips from TikTok and Twitter users on how to better play the game.

Sidhu lists the most common letters from English words. The top letters he provides are a, r, o, i, and s.

When considering these, and what positions the letters most commonly appear in, Sidhu came up with a suggestion for the best starting word for Wordle. That word is "soare," which means a young hawk⁹. It is a British English word that was used commonly in the 1700s, the Collins English Dictionary reports. Another possibility is the word "samey," another British English word that describes something that is not unusual or interesting.

Some Twitter and TikTok users suggested starting words of either "clout¹⁰" or "weird¹¹." Clout means having power and influence over other people or events. Weird means very strange or unusual.

Other popular suggestions on social media include using words with the most common vowels¹² (a, e, i, o, or u) or the most commonly used English consonants¹⁴ (r, t, n, and s).

Words in This Story

puzzle – n. a game or activity in which players have to put pieces together or answer questions using skill

figure – n. a symbol for a number

clue – n. a sign or piece of information that helps you solve a problem or answer a question

app – n. a computer program that carries out a specific job, especially on a mobile device

take off – phr v. to become successful

subscription – n. an agreement that you make with a company to get a publication or service regularly and that you usually pay for in advance

tip – n. a piece of useful advice

consonant¹³ – n. a speech sound (such as /p/, /d/, or /s/) that is made by partly or completely stopping the flow of air breathed out from the mouth

1 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

2 crossword   

n.纵横字谜，纵横填字游戏

参考例句：

• He shows a great interest in crossword puzzles.他对填字游戏表现出很大兴趣。
• Don't chuck yesterday's paper out.I still haven't done the crossword.别扔了昨天的报纸，我还没做字谜游戏呢。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

5 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

6 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。

9 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

10 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

11 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

12 vowels   

n.元音，元音字母( vowel的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Note the various sounds of vowels followed by r. 注意r跟随的各种元音的发音。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

13 consonant   

n.辅音；adj.[音]符合的

参考例句：

• The quality of this suit isn't quite consonant with its price.这套衣服的质量和价钱不相称。
• These are common consonant clusters at the beginning of words.这些单词的开头有相同辅音组合。

14 consonants   

n.辅音，子音( consonant的名词复数 )；辅音字母

参考例句：

• Consonants are frequently assimilated to neighboring consonants. 辅音往往被其邻近的辅音同化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》