Few phenomena have captivated people’s imaginations like Wordle, the daily word puzzle that has become a global sensation. This deceptively simple yet highly engaging game has seamlessly integrated itself into our daily lives, igniting conversations and friendly rivalries on social media. But as players eagerly tackle each day’s challenge, an intriguing question arises: How long can Wordle continue before it exhausts its word list?
This seemingly simple query has sparked debates among both language lovers and casual gamers, raising concerns about the game’s long-term viability and possible future adaptations. Given the limited number of five-letter words in English, it’s only natural to ponder the sustainability of this popular pastime.
Understanding Wordle's Word Pool
When Josh Wardle created Wordle, he initially included all 13,000 possible five-letter English words, with input from his partner, Palak Shah. However, Shah struggled with some of the less common words, making the game’s guessing process less enjoyable. To address this, Wardle used Shah’s feedback to narrow down the list to about 2,315 words, ensuring the puzzles were more accessible.
This refined list was projected to provide daily puzzles for around six odd years, up until 2027. After The New York Times acquired Wordle, they made several modifications. They removed words considered insensitive or offensive, such as “slave” and “lynch,” and adjusted some British spellings like “fibre.” Tracy Bennett, appointed as the game's editor, then curated the list to ensure it featured words that were “fun, accessible, lively, and varied.”
Thus the word pool went from 2315 to 2309 although Bennett has, over the years, used words that weren’t on Wardle’s initial list as daily Wordle answers. This could mean that the word pool after the NYT acquired Wordle has more than the 2315 words that Wardle’s initial list had.
The Current Word Count in Wordle
As of April 2024, Tracy Bennett, the Wordle editor at The New York Times, has revealed that there are “only 2,300 words” from the original database by Josh Wardle and Palak Shah. This means players can expect approximately six and a half more years of fresh puzzles. Yet while the word pool is finite, there’s no immediate cause for concern—though the game will eventually run out of new words.
The Potential for New Words
As Wordle continues to evolve under The New York Times' management, there's growing curiosity about the potential for new words. Initially, Wardle and Shah's word list set the stage, but now Tracy Bennett, the game's editor at the Times, is in charge of refining the selection process. This shift opens up opportunities for adding new, exciting words that match the Times' emphasis on making the game "fun, accessible, lively, and varied."
The ongoing updates to the word list mean that new terms reflecting current language trends and cultural shifts can be introduced. Furthermore, the Times could revisit previously excluded words or incorporate less common five-letter terms to keep the game fresh and engaging.
However, Bennett also revealed that the New York Times is thinking up solutions to the finite limit of words in Wordle’s database including bringing plurals and past tenses into the mix, re-using words, and more.
Community Contributions and Variations
The Wordle community has been instrumental in guiding the game's development and expanding its word pool. Players frequently exchange ideas about new words and share their preferences, which has shaped the evolution of the game. The New York Times takes this feedback into account when updating the word list.
Moreover, Wordle's success has led to the creation of various spin-offs and adaptations, such as Worldle, which focuses on geography, Heardle, which centers on music, and GuessThe.Game, aimed at video game fans. While these variations don't add words to the original Wordle, they highlight the community's creativity and ongoing interest in diverse word-guessing experiences.
FAQs
Beyond a serious increase to the word pool, Wordle will likely end sometime towards the end of 2027.
As of January 2024, Google Trends reported that the global interest in Wordle had dropped by 70% over the previous year.
No, Wordle has never repeated a word and Wordle answers don’t get repeated thus using them as a potential guess is wasting a guess.
