I was never one to hop onto the addictive train of Wordle, only occasionally giving the game a shot while social media became obsessed with these daily word challenges. However, as other daily puzzles gained popularity, I became amused with the countless variations of Wordle that were, and still are, popping up across the internet. 

After the phone ban was lifted during school lunch, my tablemates have enjoyed challenging each other to these Wordle game variations, and I soon fell in love with how the games tested our abilities while also uniting us to solve problems. Although we may seem like an anti-social group of teenagers from a distance, the intense conversations trying to determine particular countries and Marvel characters would prove otherwise. 

Even with a compiled list, I have barely scratched the surface of the brain challenges that the internet has to offer. 

Globle

Exceeding the excitement of “Worldle,” Globle takes players around the globe by essentially playing a game of “hot and cold” as the guesser navigates their way closer to the desired country. For such a simple concept, Globle offers an exciting opportunity to journey across the world, tracking country by country until the final green destination. 

The daily selections range from major international powers such as China to the lesser-known small countries such as Nauru. Geography lovers are guaranteed to love Globle, but even for people who aren’t necessarily fanatics, this game provides the perfect opportunity to strengthen skills and educate oneself on the locations of the 195 diverse countries in the world.

Heardle

This version of Wordle is completely up my alley with the challenge of guessing a particular song within a limited number of seconds. With each guess, additional seconds to the song are revealed. I was incredibly eager to try Heardle, but I was unfortunately met with heavy disappointment. 

Even after attempting the game multiple times, the daily song is often one I’ve never heard of before. This isn’t entirely surprising considering the millions of songs that exist; however, the aspect made it nearly impossible to win. 

Perhaps if the “Heardle” was categorized into specific sections or genres, I would have had more luck. For example, if the game was to guess the musical intro to a Broadway show tune, this would greatly narrow down the variety while still providing a challenge.

Antiwordle

While I usually scroll past Facebook posts boasting Wordle scores, one post from my Uncle Dave caught my attention; instead of the usual green squares that fill the bottom row, his depicted a bright red color. With further investigation, this led to my discovery of Antiwordle—a game I will never play again. 

As the name suggests, the goal is the opposite of wordle: to not guess the secret word. The concept seems simple except for the many factors that force the player to type the correct answer. Gray squares indicate letters that are not in the word and can never be used again, yellow squares are letters in the wrong spot but must be used every time, and red squares are locked in place. 

While I was amazed by the cleverness of the game concept, I currently lack the adroitness required to dedicate more time to the challenge without continued frustration.

Multi-lingual Wordle

Una actividad muy divertida en mi clase de español fue Wordle (ES). Esta versión del juego es exactamente igual a la normal excepto en un idioma diferente. Esto, por supuesto, agrega un reto adicional al juego y me ha llevado a descubrir nuevas palabras en mi vocabulario.

Hay muchas versiones del Wordle en otras lenguas, y es muy divertido para retarte a ti mismo. Te recomiendo esta versión si has terminado el juego en inglés.

Nerdle

My stumbling across this version of Wordle was completely random, yet extremely fulfilling. To all the math nerds in the world, this challenge requires players to write out an equation where the usual letter rules of Wordle are replaced by numbers. 

Activating a different piece of the brain with the use of numbers and logistics, I loved the many possibilities that result from a variety of operations. For a younger student, I can only imagine how useful this game could be for memorizing math facts and the order of operations. Meanwhile, everyone else can enjoy putting those rudimentary math skills to use in an exciting and challenging outlet. 

Semantle

Finally, my favorite Wordle variation—a game that requires players to recall dictionary words from all sides of the spectrum, from “apple” to “philosophical” to “enterprise.” There are no limitations to what the word can be, and the unlimited guesses gives a rating as to how closely related the word is to the solution. 

Even the most simple words can prove to be a challenge, and this game is best enjoyed with a group of people; it’s fascinating to see the different routes taken to arrive at the same destination. For example, with the word “horse,” my words were showing a close similarity through my guesses of transportation while my mom took a route that led to foods that a horse would eat. 

Especially over Spring Break, Semantle provided the perfect distraction for seemingly endless hours in the car. There are no other online games that are so simultaneously exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. In the end, finally arriving at the one correct word out of thousands is extremely satisfying.

No matter what game appeals to you, there is no limit to the number of daily puzzles to be found on the internet. Some of the most frustrating, yet entertaining challenges are just a few taps away.