Wordle unlimited: the daily game vs the endless copies

Wordle is the five-letter guessing game Josh Wardle made and launched in October 2021. The New York Times bought it at the end of January 2022 and still runs it: one puzzle a day, six guesses, free to play. 'Wordle unlimited' sites are fan versions that let you play round after round, and they are not made by the Times.

How Wordle works

You get six tries to guess a five-letter word. After each guess the tiles change color. Green means the letter is right and in the right spot. Yellow means the letter is in the word but somewhere else. Gray means it is not in the answer, or not again if the word only has one of it.

Hard mode adds one rule: every green or yellow letter you found has to appear in your next guesses. It stops you from spending a guess on a throwaway word just to test letters.

Official Wordle vs unlimited versions

Daily Wordle. One word for everyone each day, on the New York Times site and in the NYT Games app. Free.
The archive. Since May 2024, NYT subscribers can replay more than 1,000 past puzzles.
WordleBot. The Times' tool that grades each of your guesses. It is part of the subscription.
Unlimited fan sites. Random words with no daily limit. Word lists and rules can differ from the real game, and your streak does not carry over.

Tips that work on any version

Open with common letters. A first word with E, A, R, T or S tells you the most.
Use new letters on guess two. In normal mode, testing five fresh letters often beats guessing early.
Watch for doubles. Words like 'sheep' or 'error' trip people up because the colors only show each letter once.
Think about position. A yellow letter has also told you one place it cannot be.

Make your own word game with Roam

Roam is a free iPhone app: describe the game in a sentence and play it. Use your own words list, your own rules and your friends as the competition. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.

Try: "word guessing game, 5 letters, 6 tries, the answers are inside jokes from my friend group, race my friends for the fastest solve"

Create it with Roam Pre-register on Android See Roam

Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.

Questions people ask

Is Wordle unlimited official?

No. The official Wordle is one puzzle a day from The New York Times. Unlimited versions are fan-made copies.

Who owns Wordle?

The New York Times. It bought the game from creator Josh Wardle in January 2022.

Can you play old Wordle puzzles?

Yes. NYT subscribers can play the archive of past puzzles on the web and in the NYT Games app.