What in the Wordle? Five-letter puzzle craze goes global

The online word game 'Wordle' has gripped the attention of millions around the world

Five letters, six attempts, and just one puzzle to solve per day: the "Wordle" formula couldn't be simpler, but in a matter of weeks the online brain teaser has got millions guessing around the world.

"It just grabs you," daily player Susan Drubin told AFP of the code-breaking word challenge -- perhaps best described as a cross between the retro board game "Mastermind" and a daily crossword.

The puzzle's rise has been meteoric: according to The New York Times, 90 people played on November 1. Two months later, on January 2, more than 300,000 tackled the challenge. The Guardian put the daily player count last weekend at two million, and rising...

Only one word is offered up per day, and it is the same for everyone. Can't crack today's puzzle? You'll just have to wait until tomorrow for the next one.

After a couple of weeks, Drubin -- like legions of players -- took to sharing her results on social media under the hashtag #Wordle.

- 'Just fun' -

Its designer Josh Wardle, a software engineer based in Brooklyn but originally from Wales, has decided not to monetize the game.

While the game website -- "powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle" -- is free of ads or pop-ups, it did not take long for enterprising copy-cats to try to mimic the game concept, devising app store clones for purchase which have since been taken down.

Its developer Steven Cravotta, now 24, says he initially "had no idea what was going on" when his app starting logging more than 40,000 daily downloads.

- Bragging rights -

He puts its success partly down to how easy it is to share results with friends, either by social media or word-of-mouth.

Rachel Kowert, a psychologist specializing in video games, also points to the social comparison theory, which holds that everyone wants to evaluate themselves in relation to others.

Another key part of the game's allure, says Kowert, is that being "limited to one a day gives you a sense of psychological scarcity."

Wordle is already being adapted into other languages, including French, having swiftly conquered the English-speaking world -- although, spoiler alert, the Wednesday word's American spelling triggered howls of online player protests from its creator's fellow Britons.

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Originally published as What in the Wordle? Five-letter puzzle craze goes global