Have you heard about the new word-guessing game Wordle? The viral browser game’s task is to guess a five-letter word in no more than six tries. After each guess, the tiles change colors to show which letters are not in the word (gray), which letters are in the word but in the wrong position (yellow) and which ones are in the word and in the correct position (green). 

The game’s Welsh-born Brooklyn-based creator, Josh Wardle, first attempted an Android prototype app in 2013 for his friends. Wordle was a play on his surname. The game was not a big hit and was abandoned. In late Fall 2021, during the pandemic, he revived the game as a free internet browser-based game for his techie girlfriend, collaborator, and Spelling Bee addict, Palak Shah. Together they made improvements to the game, limited access to once-a-day, and released it to friends. In November 2021 the game had only 90 users, two months later the game had almost 2 million users, and imitation games were proliferating. When the New York Times offered to buy the game, Wardle was ready. He wasn’t interested in defending the Wordle copyright or continuing to update the game. He sold the game in late January for the “low seven figures”. The New York Times has made the game more widely available on different platforms. Currently the game is still free with no sign-up requirement. 

In December 2021, as Wardle’s game was going viral, Steven Cravotta noticed a stunning increase in the downloads of his iOS-based word game, Wordle!, that had been available in the Apple App store since 2015. He created the game when he was 18 years old to sharpen his coding skills. The mechanics of his game, which is played on any iPhone, or iOS device, were completely different. Cravotta’s Wordle! app is a timer-based word game that provides 4-7 letters and asks users to create words as fast as possible. You can play as often as you like. 

While some developers looked to capitalize on the Wordle sensation, Cravotta realized that Apple users were mistaking his Wordle! game for Wardle’s Wordle game. He contacted Wardle and they agreed to donate a $50,000 windfall profit from the Apple game to an Oakland, CA, tutoring center for at-risk youth, where Wardle’s girlfriend used to tutor. 

If you are discussing Wordle, be sure you are talking about the same game. Either one promises fun for the wordsmith of any age.