Wordle logo

Wordle

Viral word puzzle sharpens language and thinking skills

Learning rating

Community rating

Based on 1 review

Privacy rating

Expert evaluation by Common Sense

Grades

3–12

Subjects & Skills

Critical Thinking, English Language Arts, English-Language Learning

Price: Free
Platforms: Web

Pros: Its popularity is a plus, and its brief time commitment makes it a fun, potentially social experience.

Cons: No customization, so teachers can't choose which words drive the game.

Bottom Line: This popular and simplistic word game has potential as a fun vocabulary builder.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

In late 2021, Wordle began lighting up social media and took off in popularity. The rules are simple: A user has six tries to guess the daily five-letter word. To begin, enter a word. The program will reveal whether the word you entered has any correct letters. A green letter is in the correct spot, a yellow letter is in an incorrect spot, and a gray letter is not in the word. At the end of the game, the player has the opportunity to share their performance to social media platforms, without spoilers. Younger children watched their parents play and wanted to try from their own devices.  

Wordle has many possibilities as a bell ringer or warm-up activity to kick off a lesson. Since it's web-based, it can be accessed from a computer or tablet. Teachers can either have students solve from their own device or project it and solve it as a shared activity. Occasionally the word of the day may be unfamiliar to younger students, which could be frustrating but also provides an opportunity to build vocabulary. While it seems a natural fit to use the game in a reading, writing, or ELA lesson, Wordle lends itself just as well to a math lesson. That's because solving Wordle uses a bit of logic, strategy, process of elimination, and even probability. Once students are familiar with the game, an engaging extension activity would be to create custom puzzles with one of several copycat programs. Teachers could create puzzles that hone in on skills they want students to practice. Alternatively, students can be challenged to create their own as well. 

Learning Rating

Overall Rating
Engagement

Students of all ages who enjoy solving word or logic puzzles will find Wordle engaging. Players can track their own statistics, adding an element of gamification.

Pedagogy

Wordle has many possibilities as a bell ringer or warm-up activity to start the day. Solving the puzzle uses a bit of strategy, as well as students' process of elimination, vocabulary, and spelling knowledge. 

Support

Limited support is available, but there are on-screen reminders of the game's simple rules. Also, players get helpful hints to feed their next guesses.

Common Sense reviewer
Elvina Tong
Elvina Tong Computer Science and Innovation Teacher

Community Rating

Great for learning new words

I think there are too many ads it can take away interest to play the game to its fullest potential. I think the idea of the app is great but it was not executed correctly. the instructions are not clear so you have to play and figure out as you play.

Continue reading

Privacy Rating

Data Safety How safe is this product?

  • Unclear whether this product supports interactions between trusted users.
  • Personal information can be displayed publicly.
  • User-created content is not filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.

Data Rights What rights do I have to the data?

  • Users can create or upload content.
  • Unclear whether this product provides processes to access and review user data.
  • Processes to modify data are available for authorized users.

Ads & Tracking Are there advertisements or tracking?

  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays traditional or contextual advertisements.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.

Continue reading about this tool's privacy practices, including data collection, sharing, and security.

See complete evaluation

Learn more about our privacy ratings