KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Move over, Wordle. There’s a new game (or two or three) in town.
You’ve probably seen the frames of little squares popping up on your social media feeds. Most likely you’re halfway annoyed with them by now, right? Well, they aren’t going away anytime soon. In fact, they’re multiplying as the guess-a-word games settle in with pandemic-weary Americans.
Here are a few you might not know about:
Wordle is a viral sensation created by Brooklyn software engineer Josh Wardle. The free online game challenges players to uncover a 5-letter word in fewer than six attempts. An audience that has perfected the humble brag takes full advantage of a feature that allows results to be shared on social media without unveiling the word.
Taylordle is a word game launched by The Holy Swift, a podcast hosted by Kelly Broyles, Jessica Zaleski and Krista Doyle, that discusses Taylor Swift’s body of work, song-by-song.
The launch of Taylor’s version came just a few days before the New York Times bought Wordle for “low-seven figures.” Well, not exactly Taylor’s version. Just about Taylor, and using a language that Swifties will understand.
“Calling all Swifties who Wordle,” said a tweet from The Holy Swift account on Jan. 28. “All of the words are part of the Swiftie universe!”
Airportle, a word game from Scott’s Cheap Flights that is based on you-know-what game. Each round challenges users to discover a certain airport IATA code. Those are the 3-letter codes that identify an airport. For example, McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville is “TYS.”
Nerdle is a game for math-minded users looking for their own puzzle fix. In this one, people have six guesses to uncover an 8-letter calculation that is mathematically correct using only the numerals 0 to 9 and the symbols you’d expect to find in a math problem. Directions on the website warn that “Order matters in nerdle! If the answer we’re looking for is 10+20=30, then 20+10=30 isn’t close enough.”
Meanwhile, a NSFW (not safe for work) version of these addictive games called Lewdle is also growing in popularity, though you probably won’t see the results posted as often on social media. Those who don’t know the NSFW acronym probably won’t be interested in this ruder version that rewards dirty minds. Also, we won’t link to it here.
“CONTENT ADVISORY: Lewdle is a game about rude words. If you’re likely to be offended by the use of profanity, vulgarity or obscenity, go play Wordle instead!” says a warning on the Lewdlegame.com website.
Whatever version you choose to play, the benefit of playing electronic games is beneficial for your health.