Wordle just confirmed major change for next week — and it's controversial

Wordle on a smartphone screen — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Wordle, the massively popular daily word game owned by The New York Times, is going through a massive change. Instead of using a new word every day (how are they still coming up with five-letter words after all this time?), previously used words are now back in play.

The New York Times put out a brief statement at the top of its Gameplay email newsletter yesterday, revealing the change.

Outlook from Wordle players

Wordle answer for #1,244, Thursday, November 14 — (Image credit: Future)

The Times is doing this out of practicality. When it acquired Wordle a few years back, it had a list of 2,309 approved five-letter words. At the rate it's going, Wordle was going to run out of words in about two years, so if it wanted to keep the game going, it was going to have to start repeating words at some point. By starting this now, it will be able to mix repeated words in more randomly, rather than waiting to the very end.

I play Wordle pretty much every day, and I'm happy with this change. I think more variety in word options is a good thing, as there really are only so many five-letter words to go around. It gives NYT the chance to tie words into cultural events again and make super-hard words when the company feels like twisting our brains a bit.

My girlfriend is a more dedicated Wordle player than me, so I asked for her thoughts on the change. "I think it's a guessing game regardless, so it's not going to make me play any differently," said my Wordle-addicted girlfriend. "If anything, I think it'll bring back some nostalgia after I solve the puzzle and remember a previous word."

She also plays a slightly different style than most; she tries to use a different start word every day instead of using the optimal Wordle words. She said it feels like cheating, so opening up even more potential words could lead to some one and two-guess finishes for her than those who use the "correct" words to start.

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Dave LeClair is the Senior News Editor for Tom's Guide, keeping his finger on the pulse of all things technology. He loves taking the complicated happenings in the tech world and explaining why they matter. Whether Apple is announcing the next big thing in the mobile space or a small startup advancing generative AI, Dave will apply his experience to help you figure out what's happening and why it's relevant to your life.

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