Hadley Hoskins
Contributing Writer
Wordle is everywhere. From social media to the dinner table, it’s almost impossible to avoid the word game. Even more impossible to avoid are the claims that it’s getting more difficult.
The game was created in October 2021 by Josh Wardle and quickly went viral. The quick uptake in players led to the New York Times announcing it had bought the game on Jan. 31, 2022.
After the New York Times officially started running the game, the idea that the game was getting harder started to spread. Fans everywhere complained that words like “COULD” (Wordle 224) and “WEARY” (Wordle 188) were becoming “TACIT” (Wordle 250) or the dreaded “VIVID” (Wordle 252). Everywhere, players were confused, and no matter who one asked, they would say that the words were harder now that the New York Times owns the game.
Another wordle player, sophomore Macey Fischer shared her thoughts.
Fischer said, “The vocabulary selection has increased.”
Despite these claims, the New York Times says it hasn’t added any new words to the bank used. In fact, most of the words used are the same ones that Wardle originally intended to be used. They have, however, removed some words.
The New York Times website says, “We are updating the word list over time to remove obscure words to keep the puzzle accessible to more people, as well as insensitive or offensive words.”
Regardless of whether or not the words used are more complex or less common, the New York Times isn’t to blame for the newly challenging words.
