Wordle Rules
A daily five-letter word puzzle where each guess gives color feedback about correct letters and positions.
Wordle is popular because the whole puzzle turns on a tiny amount of information. Each guess should test likely letters while keeping enough flexibility for the next turn.
Most players improve fastest by reading the feedback as constraints, not as a score for how close the word feels.
Quick answer
Wordle gives you six tries to find one five-letter answer. Green means the letter is correct and in the right spot, yellow means the letter is in the answer but elsewhere, and gray means the letter is not in the answer under the usual feedback rules.
Puzzle facts
| format | Daily word puzzle |
|---|---|
| players | Solo, shareable results |
| time | 3-8 minutes |
| difficulty | Easy to medium |
What you need
- A browser or Wordle app access.
- A keyboard for entering five-letter words.
- A notes area only if you like tracking candidates outside the grid.
Setup
- Open the daily puzzle.
- Enter any valid five-letter word.
- Use the feedback from each row to narrow the answer.
Objective
Find the hidden five-letter word in six guesses or fewer.
Rules
- Each guess must be a valid five-letter word accepted by the puzzle.
- A green tile means that letter is correct in that exact position.
- A yellow tile means that letter appears in the answer but not in that position.
- A gray tile means that letter is not in the answer, unless repeated-letter feedback shows a limited number of copies.
- The puzzle ends when you solve the word or use all six guesses.
Scoring and results
- There is no numeric score in the standard puzzle.
- Results are usually summarized by the number of guesses used.
- A solve in fewer rows is generally treated as a stronger result.
Examples
Green locks a position
If the third tile is green A, keep A in the third position for future guesses.
Yellow moves a letter
If R is yellow in position one, try R somewhere else and avoid placing it first again.
Repeated letters need care
If one E is yellow and another E is gray, the answer probably contains exactly one E.
Strategy tips
- Start with a word containing common letters and at least two vowels.
- Use the second guess to test new letters when the first row gives little information.
- Do not keep reusing gray letters unless you are deliberately testing a pattern.
- When you know several letters, list possible answer shapes before guessing.
Common mistakes
- Treating yellow letters as almost-correct positions.
- Forgetting that a gray repeated letter may still reveal letter count.
- Guessing a likely answer too early when a test word would split more candidates.
Variations
- Hard mode requires revealed hints to be reused.
- Archive-style clones let players solve older puzzles.
- Longer and shorter word variants change the grid size.
Visual guide
Use this example to see how the puzzle works before you try the steps yourself.
FAQ
What do Wordle colors mean?
Green means right letter and right place, yellow means right letter and wrong place, and gray usually means the letter is not in the answer.
Can Wordle answers have repeated letters?
Yes. Repeated letters can appear, and the feedback indicates how many copies the answer likely contains.
Is there one Wordle per day?
The official daily puzzle publishes one standard puzzle per day.
Where to play Wordle
App and web picksSources
Rule references and official game pages where available. App recommendations are separate from sources.
- Wordle, The New York Times
Official daily puzzle page.