Wordle, a game that was released back in October 2021 has recently been trending amongst students.
“You put in a word, and the algorithm shoots back colors. Black is no you don’t use that word. Yellow, use it but not in the right place, and green means it’s in the right place,” Karin Walker, English teacher, said.
The game’s popularity has spread by word of mouth.
“My mom was the one that told me about Wordle, and she was doing it every day. I was intrigued and it sounded like a lot of fun, and so I started playing it every day,” Andrew Austin, junior, said.
Wordle is also spreading through social media causing more people to play it.
“I just saw a bunch of my friends posting it on their snap, and I was like let me do this,” Elena Carousel, junior, said.
Wordle can also be an educational game to play as a class warmup as a brain exercise.
“A ‘wordle’ for an individual classroom a day, I think will be good. It’s another way for students to engage with words, “ Walker said.
Wordle is not for everyone as it can be frustrating for some people.
“It seems hard, and I would get irritated. It’s too much thinking and it’s overrated. It’s just a word. It seems really boring,” Isabel Bolanos, junior, said.
Out of 239 students surveyed, 45% play Wordle. Of those students who play, 44% find Wordle challenging from time to time.
“If you don’t get all the letters correct, and you don’t know. You’re just stuck there. Wordle challenges my brain, and gives me something to do when I’m bored,” Grant Kearney, sophomore, said.
There are also other word games that serve as an alternative for Wordle.
“I play this one game called Word Villas, and it’s kinda like Wordle. You have these sets of letters and you have to find more and more words from them. You also get to design a mansion with the more words you get. I like it, it’s interesting,” Carousel said.
Some students feel Wordle will be a short-lived trend.
“I give it three months, and something new is going to come out. Something will take it over. Trends don’t last very long. It’s not amazing,” Bolanos said.
However, there is still enjoyment amongst others in the game.
“ I do really enjoy playing Wordle. I have a 30-day answer streak, which means that I have never missed a word for thirty days straight,” Kearney said.