I would not call myself a trendy person, in fact I’m normally weeks behind on new trends. So when I first heard of Wordle, I wasn’t too interested. Now it seems inescapable: my friends are talking about it, my classmates are talking about it, my teachers are talking about it, everyone and their grandma is talking about Wordle. 

Wordle is a game where you have 6 tries to guess a 5 letter word by using the clues it gives you. If you guess a letter in the word, the letter will turn yellow. If you guess the letter in the correct spot it will turn green. The goal is to guess the word in as few tries as possible – and you can only play one game per day.

There has been an explosion of Wordle, dozens of copies and look-alikes have sprung up. Don’t think Wordle has enough letters? There’s a game for that. Think you have too many brain cells? There’s a game for that. Want to play Wordle but with Phrases? There’s a game for that. MLB? Of course. NFL? You bet. NBA? Is it even a question any more? Is geography your cup of tea? There are even versions Wordle for different languages!

The design of Wordle is fantastically fascinating. Its simplistic style, intuitive design, and addictive nature made it spread rapidly. It brilliantly pulls off the difficult dichotomy of frustrating and fun. This unique balance and educational nature makes it a valuable asset to learning. Its true value is truly underrated, and I regret doubting it in the first place.

Some people still hate Wordle. Sure, it may be annoying to constantly hear people talking about it and plastering their scores all over their social media, but I personally love it because it’s giving people a chance to expand their vocabulary and knowledge through playful competition. I began this journey lamenting peoples random obsession with fads and their willingness to blindly follow trends. But now I recognize its greatness.