As we slowly enter 2022, our social media feeds are being plastered with the little yellow and green boxes of Wordle scores. The free-to-play online game has become a mainstay of our online lives and we’re all trying to guess the same word – just better and faster than our friends.
Youth your friends sharing their Wordle numbers on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, we would not be surprised if you were scratching your head trying to deduce what these numbers and charts actually mean. Well, below is all you need to know.
Related: How to Play Past Wordle Games
What does your Wordle score mean?
There are two numbers you’ll get when you complete the Wordle of the day and hit ‘Share’.
The first is the Wordle number and the second is the number of tries you took to guess the word correctly.
If you look at it in passing, it might look like the first number is the number of seconds you took to guess the word, and the second is the number of tries.
But, the first number is more akin to a serial number – it simply shows which Wordle you’re on.
Only one Wordle puzzle is released per day. So, the first Wordle, which Josh Wardle released to the public in mid-October 2021, would be Wordle 1 – denoting it’s the Wordle game #1. And if you got it right in 4 tries your result would have said ‘Wordle 1 4/6′. Yes, here 4/6 denotes ‘attempts used’/’total attempts available’.
Likewise, if you completed the Wordle game for 7 January 2022, which was Wordle game #203 in four tries, then your result would be ‘Wordle 203 4/6’.
In another example, if took 3 tries for Wordle released on 22 January 2022 (game #217, that is), them the score would be ‘Wordle 217 3/6.
Related: What is a Good Wordle Score?
Why Wordle score numbers matter?
The numbers are the key reason for Wordle’s popularity. Since there’s only one Wordle puzzle per day for everyone, we’re all competing against each other, across the world, to guess the word the fastest in the least number of tries.
Another reason for Wordle’s wild growth in popularity is that it’s free-to-play and everyone gets the same challenge every day.
Related: Does Everyone Get The Same Wordle?
What does the asterisk in Wordle score mean?
In all our trials the asterisk only showed up in our score if we played the game on Hard mode. Hard mode forces players to use every letter that has been revealed in a previous answer in their next guess.
Here’s the same Wordle result – with Hard mode off.
And with Hard mode switched on.
The asterisk only shows up when you play with Hard mode active.
How to enable Hard Mode in Wordle (get asterisk in score yourself)
Visit the Wordle homepage. Then, click on the Settings icon at the right top.
Now click/tap on the toggle for ‘Hard mode’ to turn it on for your current session.
Simply playing on Normal mode according to the rules of Hard mode isn’t adequate to earn the coveted asterisk next to your score. Finishing the game quickly on normal mode while following hard mode rules doesn’t net the asterisk either, from our trials.
You have to switch on Hard mode to get that asterisk on your score.
Common misconceptions about the Wordle numbers
Like we explained above, the numbers simply indicate what Wordle number you played and how many tries you took to guess the correct word. They do not show how much time you took to get the right answer, how long you took on each guess, or how close you were to each guess.
There’s no timer. So, keep that in mind when you play the game, and you’ll do much better.
Does Wordle number denote Date and Month?
Nope. As explained above, the first 3-digit number is the game number while the second number shows the attempts taken/total attempts.
So, How Do I Get Better Scores On Wordle?
Keeping a few points in mind when you make your guesses can mean the difference between guessing the word in two tries and guessing the word in six tries. Your first word is usually the most important, so use words that either exhaust multiple vowels, or multiple common consonants.
For example, the word ‘ARISE’ is often used by many people as it gets you three common vowels and two common consonants, thus a great word to start your day Wordle with.
Alternatively, words like SINGE, SPACE, and even ADIEU are all also pretty good options.
Do check out some of the best words to start Wordle with at the link below where we have put together 5-letter words with three vowels and four vowels.
Related: Wordle: 5-Letter Words With Most Vowels
We’ve covered more tips on how to get a better score as well if you want a more detailed guide.
But like any game, the more you play, the better you get at it. So if you want the best scores on Wordle and you want to outdo your friends, get cracking!
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