Elementary, my dear… Word! Wordle! Wordler!

Last October, Mr. Wardle launched the game publicly and, within a few months the puzzle game had become an internet phenomenon. In January 2022, when it became clear that Wordle needed full-time management, its creator sold it to the New York Times for an amount “in the low seven figures.”

By now, of course, there are scores of spin-offs. There are wordle alternatives called “Dordle” and “Quordle,” “Heardle” and “Byrdle,” “Who Are Ya?” and “Framed,” “Crosswordle,” and, inevitably, “Absurdle,” and “Nerdle.”

In Klingon? Really?

And lest you think only English speakers are buying into the craze… Wordles are going full bore in Belarusian and Cornish, Filipino and Kazakh — and, unbelievably, at least to me, in Klingon and American Sign Language! So far, there are a whopping 91 languages in which to play Wordle and it’s being credited with the revival of certain indigenous languages as well! Who knew?

Add to all that, the sites that give instructions in finding five-letter words, hints for the day’s puzzle solution, directions for how to play, strategies for winning and on and on ad nauseum. If I weren’t already a devoted player, just learning about all this ancillary nonsense would probably discourage me. Forever.

The shrinks have leapt into the fray as well — analyzing and re-analyzing why people love the game. In Psychology Today, an article called “Love in the Time of Wordle” explores “Can Wordle fans love someone who doesn’t play? And other critical questions.” (Tell me, please, that this was meant to be tongue-in-cheek!) Other critical questions being “analyzed” by the professionals include “Does Wordle Make You Smarter?” and “Is Wordle Good For Your Memory.”

Say no more!

And from a site called Mental Health News: “Why Our Brains Love Wordle: A Game of Challenge, Connection, and Dopamine.” Really? I wonder if there have been similar analyses of crossword puzzles and Scrabble and Hangman and Boggle. If so, I don’t want to know about it.

According to: Kelli Dunlap, a clinical psychologist, another reason Wordle has surged in popularity in the U.S. specifically “is because our culture puts emphasis on productivity. When we aren’t productive, we feel guilty.”

Give me a break! Whatever happened to “we all (worldwide) love Wordle because it’s fun!” as an answer to why do we play it? Or isn’t fun allowed anymore? Sigh! First the internet giveth and then it taketh away. Or so it seems to me…

Bottom line, though. I don’t much care about the why’s and wherefore’s. As long as I can have a game of Wordle with that first cup of morning coffee, I am this five-letter word all day long: Happy!