The Odd Obsession with a Word Puzzle

A+picture+of+the+wordle+set+up.+with+gray%2C+yellow%2C+green+squares

A picture of the wordle set up. with gray, yellow, green squares

What is with this new obsession with colored squares and words?

A game involving six chances to guess a five letter word with hints that includes color changing blocks called Wordle.

Wordle is a Scrabble, word search, brain gnawing puzzle type digital game where you can get six chances to guess the word of the day, which changes every twenty-four hours. You can play the game on the New York Times website or on the App Store/Google Play.

Originally, this game was made for the software engineer, Josh Wardle, and his partner, then later on released it last year October and by mid-January had 2 million players.  

In December, people started sharing the game on their social media with pictures of the blocks and the progress they made with game without disclosing the word of the day. And since the creator made it extremely easy to share, it wasn’t that hard for the Word to spread like wildfire.

British psychologist Lee Chambers, who specializes in environmental and well-being coaching, says that Wordle was so appealing because it stimulated both the language- and logic-processing areas of our brains. “Like all games, it also leads to a release of dopamine, a hormone that allows us to feel pleasure and satisfaction.”

If you want to challenge your brain or give yourself a word warm up this game is for you.