Wordle‘s popularity shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
The word-based puzzle became a viral sensation during the COVID-19 pandemic, when software engineer Josh Wardle came up with the brainteaser for him and his partner to enjoy. After quickly realizing its wider appeal, he released the game to the public in October 2021, and by January 2022, The New York Times had purchased it for an undisclosed fee.
Wordle tasks players to guess a five-letter word within six tries, guided by a color-coded tile system. A green tile means the letter is correct and in the correct place; a yellow tile tells you that the letter appears in the word but is not in the right spot; a gray tile indicates that letter does not appear in the word.
Despite creating Wordle, Wardle told Newsweek that his partner is often better at conquering the game than he is.
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“She will consistently get it in three goes, which is way, way better than I can ever hope to achieve,” he said. “I normally need at least four or five attempts.”
Erhan Aslan, who teaches applied linguistics at the University of Reading in England, revealed why the game is so popular in a separate interview with Newsweek.
“In today’s digital age, like many other things, many simple games like Wordle can be played online,” Aslan said in 2022. “I think that Wordle gains its popularity not only from its simple rules, but also from its virality on social media platforms as a result of people sharing/posting their scores to demonstrate a sense of accomplishment and validation.”
‘Wordle’ #1,355, Clues for Wednesday, March 5
Newsweek‘s clues for today’s Wordle are:
Hint #1: It starts with the letter “S.”
Hint #2: There are no repeated letters.
Hint #3: It is a noun.
Hint #4: It ends with the letter “M.”
Hint #5: The answer rhymes with “crumb.”
‘Wordle’ #1,355, Answer for Wednesday, March 5
The answer to today’s Wordle is “Scrum.”
Merriam-Webster defines the term as “a rugby play in which the forwards of each side come together in a tight formation and struggle to gain possession of the ball using their feet when it is tossed in among them.”
It could also be “a usually brief and disorderly struggle or fight” or “a usually tightly packed or disorderly crowd.”
You’re a vocabulary pro if you got today’s difficult Wordle correct! If you didn’t, though, don’t worry. Wordle is released at midnight in your local time zone, which means you will get another chance to play on Thursday.
Anxiously awaiting the next Wordle puzzle? These other popular word games are fun, too.