Considering the global sensation it has developed into, Wordle has remarkably humble origins. The puzzle was perfected 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 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 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' #1,289, Clues for Sunday, December 29
Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today's Wordle brainteaser.
Hint #1: The answer contains two vowels.
Hint #2: The first and third letters are the same.
Hint #3: Associated with dancing.
Hint #4: Think about the Caribbean.
Hint #5: One of the first three letters in the alphabet features.
'Wordle' #1,289, Answer for Sunday, December 29
The answer to today's Wordle puzzle is "mambo."
Well, that was a tough one! An uncommon word, though the two commonly used vowels did help a bit.
Did you figure it out? If so congratulations, but please don't be put off if not. One of the best things about Wordle is seeing if you can improve your result over time and Newsweek will be back with another round of hints and tips on Monday.
What Does 'Mambo' Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "mambo" as "a ballroom dance of Cuban origin that resembles the rumba and the cha-cha."
English (US) ·