How to Play Wordle
Wordle is a daily word puzzle that challenges you to guess a hidden 5-letter word in just 6 attempts. Each guess provides color-coded feedback that helps you narrow down the possibilities. This guide explains everything you need to know to play confidently.
The Basic Rules
- ✓You have 6 attempts to guess the hidden 5-letter word
- ✓Each guess must be a valid 5-letter word
- ✓After each guess, tiles change color to show how close your word is to the answer
- ✓One puzzle per day — everyone gets the same word, and a new one arrives at midnight
Understanding the Colors
The color feedback is your main clue for finding the answer. Here's what each color means:
🟩 Green — Correct Letter, Correct Spot
A green tile means you've identified the right letter in the exact position it appears in the answer.
The letter R is the second letter of the answer.
🟨 Yellow — Correct Letter, Wrong Spot
A yellow tile means the letter appears in the answer, but not where you placed it. Try that letter in a different position.
The letter A is in the answer, but not in the third position.
⬜ Gray — Letter Not in Word
A gray tile means the letter does not appear anywhere in the answer. Avoid using this letter in future guesses.
The letter C is not in the answer at all.
How Duplicate Letters Work
One of Wordle's most confusing rules is how it handles letters that appear more than once in the answer. The key principle: colored tiles never exceed the actual count of that letter in the answer.
Example: Answer is ABACK
You guess ARRAY. The answer has one A, but your guess has two. Here's what happens:
- • The first A turns yellow — it's in the answer, just not in position 1
- • The second A turns gray — because there's only ONE A in the answer, and it's already been "used" by the first tile
This means if you see multiple copies of a letter turn gray while another copy is yellow or green, the answer contains fewer copies than you guessed. Use this information to narrow down possibilities.
Your First Game: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Let's walk through a sample game to see how the clues build on each other. The hidden word is CRANE.
Guess 1: SLATE
Good start! We know A and E are in the word, and S, L, T are out. Now we need words with A and E, avoiding S, L, T.
Guess 2: CARET
Excellent progress! C-A is correct. R and E are in the word but in different positions. T is confirmed absent (we saw it twice gray). The pattern is now C A _ _ _ with R and E somewhere in positions 3-5.
Guess 3: CRANE
Solved! By systematically using the information from each guess, we found the answer in just 3 tries.
Practice with Our Helper
Ready to try it yourself? Our Wordle Helper lets you practice with unlimited random words while giving you progressive hints that teach you better strategies — without spoiling the answer.
Try Practice Mode