I know, I know, you’re tired of Wordle. Just mute the word “wordle” on Twitter and don’t be like the guy who made a bot that ruins Wordle and got it banned from twitter today for being a killjoy (actually it’s because it’s against Twitter guidelines to make a bot that is designed to annoy people, but this is definitely party pooping behavior).
Okay, now that we’re on our own – all the grumps have closed the article – let’s talk about Wordle. Today’s puzzle was particularly challenging, but when you typed “wordle” into the Google search bar to find that strange powerlanguage.co.uk site, you may have noticed a fun easter egg. The Google icon at the top right looks like Wordle! The animation even plays someone guessing words like “column” and “goalkeeper” before getting to “Google”. It’s cute, okay! (And in other news, Google is being sued by Washington D.C. and three states over user privacy.)
As proof of the cultural significance of a Google easter egg, Wordle is still very popular, and it’s not just on your Twitter feed. When Ploonge spoke to the game’s creator, Josh Wardle, two weeks ago, he said that two million people play the game every day. If you’re decidedly not a curmudgeon and you still think Wordle is fun (it is! If you don’t like it, just don’t play it!), check out our conversation with Wardle (yes, that’s his name) about the game’s sudden virality, venture capital and why he doesn’t want to monetize the game.