5 Wordle spinoffs to tease your brain
It’s been a minute since Wordle took over the world.
The New York Times acquired Wordle last year, adding it to its game app that also includes The Crossword and Sudoku. According to Google Trends, searches for the word guessing game peaked around February and have been declining ever since. So if you’re one of those searching for something similar but ready for a fresh take, here are five Wordle-like games to try.
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Digits
The new web-based game is in beta right now, currently free from The New York Times and could become part of the app. It gives players a target number and six other numbers. They must use the six numbers in some combination of an algebraic equation to equal the target number.
Start by adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing any of the six numbers. The numbers used will disappear, leaving you with the number that was the solution to your equation. So if you add a 2 and a 3, those numbers will be gone, but you’ll have a 5 to use in future equations.
There is an undo button to use when you’ve run out of options and you can cry uncle and press the reveal button to see the answer. Pressing reveal won’t allow you to earn any stars on that problem. Players receive three stars for reaching the exact target, two stars for reaching within 10 of the target and one star for reaching within 25 of the target. Digits releases new puzzles each day at midnight.
Nerdle
While some were saying Digits was the math version of Wordle, I actually think Nerdle has earned that title. It’s app- or web-based and looks very similar to Wordle, but uses numbers instead of letters.
There are eight boxes across and players input numbers and +, -. *, / or = to make equations. Only one number can be to the right of the equals sign. The game then turns the box green if the correct number is in the correct spot, maroon if the number is in the solution but in the wrong spot and black if the number is not in the solution at all. Players have six lines to try and get it right.
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Quordle
If you adore Wordle and wish you could play more than once a day, maybe solving four at one time will scratch that itch. Quordle is owned by Merriam-Webster and is app and web-based. Players must solve four Wordle puzzles with the same nine guesses.
Crosswordle
This web-based game is like a mash-up of Sudoku and Wordle. Players must guess two words related to one another that cross. Tap two letters to swap their positions and get them in the right place in the Crosswordle. All the letters that appear on the screen belong somewhere in the puzzle. Green letters are in the correct position, orange letters are in the correct word, but the wrong position and gray letters are in the wrong word.
Worldle
This game puts your geography skills to the test. Worldle shows players an outline of a country and they have six guesses to type in the correct name. It’s harder than you would expect to name a country without seeing it in context to other countries around it. After each guess, the game tells you the distance your guess from the correct answer and in which direction. The mystery country changes every 24 hours.
Good luck gamers. Try out these alternatives for a new bright spot to each digital day.
