Considering the global sensation it has developed into, Wordle, the word-based game, has remarkably humble origins. The puzzle developed during the COVID lockdown by Josh Wardle, a software engineer based in New York, who simply wanted a game "for me and my partner to enjoy."
Wardle released Wordle to the general public in October 2021, and it quickly developed a dedicated following across the English-speaking world. Indeed, some particularly hardcore fans took to sharing their results and comparing strategies each day on social media.
In January 2022, Wardle sold Wordle to The New York Times for an undisclosed seven-figure sum, though the game remained free to play.
Speaking to Newsweek, Erhan Aslan, a linguistics expert who teaches at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, provided some tips for Wordle players.
He said: "One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen. Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful. Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j, or x, for instance, may not be the best choice.
"As you get more feedback after a few guesses, users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking. For example, if the second letter of the target word is l (indicated by green) and the player feels that the word starts with a consonant, they will need to know that there are only a few consonant cluster possibilities (such as bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl)."
The answer to Sunday's Wordle puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself.
'Wordle' #1,282, Clues for Sunday, December 22
Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today's Wordle brainteaser.
Hint #1: There is only one vowel.
Hint #2: There are no repeated letters.
Hint #3: Associated with strength.
Hint #4: There is no 'I' in team. The same applies to Sunday's Wordle puzzle.
Hint #5: Often paired against brains.
'Wordle' #1,282, Answer for Sunday, December 22
The answer to today's Wordle puzzle is "brawn."
Well that was a tough one! A relatively uncommon word, containing only one vowel, Sunday's puzzle could have confused even experienced Wordle players. Did you figure it out? If so congratulations, but please don't worry if not. Another Wordle puzzle will be released on Monday and Newsweek will be back with another round of hints and tips.
What Does 'Brawn' Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "brawn" as "full strong muscles" or "muscular strength."
For example: "I'm going to ask my brother to come over and help with the car this weekend, he's got a lot more brawn than me.
English (US) ·