What is Reversle? How to Play and Where

Wordle is fun, and we are addicted. But instead of looking for a cure, we are keener on fuelling the obsession with its variants that push us deeper into the lively pit of guessing games. There is a particular interest rampant in the community to find and commit to unique spin-offs than run-of-the-mill clones. If you are someone caught in the middle, that is, you want it to resemble Wordle, but with just a bit of twist, then the Reversle game might interest you.

What is Reversle?

Reversle is the Wordle game in reverse mode; that is, when you enter the game, the solution is already present in the grid. The challenge posed is to play the game as if tracing the moves you made to arrive at the solution.

The parameter for scoring is time (metered in seconds) to solve the puzzle. The game is the brainchild of independent developer Kiru. In his Twitter bio, Kiru calls himself a “recursive problem solver” and it comes off as no surprise that the linear paradigm followed by the Wordle algorithm would trigger his panache to grind it through a recursive model of programming. The result is Reversle, a game built on the principle of replaying your moves to fit into the predetermined conditions.

Kiru is an ardent fan of Wordle, evidenced by the multiple Wordle-inspired games he has launched back to back. Click here to take a look at them on his personal website, kiru.io.

Where to play Reversle

Reversle can be played on the game page, reversle.net. All you need to do is go to the host page on a web browser (such as Chrome, Safari) through any device with the necessary configurations (mobile phones, tab, computer, etc).

Reversle game rules: Explained

Reversle is a daily word game, like most variants of Wordle, where the challenge is to make correct guesses. With the solution already available in the “all green” 5th row, the players are forced to maneuver around the barricades set up in the grid in the form of “fixed” yellow or green tiles in the remaining.

Reversle has a 5×5 grid, that is, the puzzle involves a 5-letter word that is already revealed at the beginning of the game, which you have to complete as fast as possible in 4 attempts. The system keeps track of the time you spent to solve each row, which cumulates to the game score when you solve the puzzle.

The color system on Reversle is a replica of Wordle with the familiar green, gray, and yellow-colored feedback to indicate letters that need to be adjusted or eliminated. The hints in the game, however, appear as stagnant colored tiles — you don’t get feedback for the letters you enter, rather, you bend your guesses to accommodate the fixed positions of yellow and green tiles. 

The gameplay is not much different from Wordle in processes, for your task in the game is to make guesses to arrive at the solution. In simple terms, Reversle is a twist on Wordle where making correct “wrong” guesses with completely wrong or partially correct letters is the only focus.

Other than playing the Wordle in reverse following the original game rules, Reversle doesn’t impose too many restrictions to dictate or retrain players. So, shall we take a look at the gameplay now?

Breaking down Reversle gameplay

When you go to the host page of Reversle, reversle.net, what welcomes you is an all gray grid with one filled-in row. That is the challenge of the day, waiting to be unlocked. Hit Click here to start to activate the grid.

The fifth and final row in the activated grid is the solution row which holds the answer in all green tiles.  Your playground involves the 4 rows above the solution row. So, where to begin?

The first guess on Reversle

You may begin your guess on any of the responsive rows, as there is no prescribed order or restriction to start from the top and solve your way down, as found on Wordle. Something you might want to take note of is that your performance in the game is evaluated on the basis of the time taken to solve each row. The timer is hidden from the player’s view as it secretly monitors your progress and records it in seconds. 

As the game itself is a reverse play, then, logically, it might help you manage time better if you start from the 4th row. Based on the general pattern, the fixed tiles tend to be concentrated on the penultimate rows on the grid.

In the yellow columns, use any of the letters in the solution word appropriately to form a valid word. For the first move, if you start from the 4th row, you can tackle more tiles at once, as you can see that the density of fixed tiles progressively gets lesser in the upper rows. But, this depends on the challenge of the day.

That means, start your guesses on the rows with the most fixed tiles. Hence, you could even play Reversle just like Wordle and start from the first row. If you start from the opposite end of the area of focus, the difficulty progressively increases as the number of fixed tiles increases in the subsequent rows. 

How to make your guesses on Reversle

Making guesses on Reversle is based on the game logic of Wordle. For instance, you can not enter a letter in the solution word in a gray column or in a yellow column right above it. Examine the gameplay in the screenshot below, for instance.

In the 4th row, “I” is accepted only if input in a yellow tile in a different position (Row 1 column 1; Row 2 column 5, Row 3 column 4, or Row 4 column 2). If you enter “I” in a gray column, it directly violates the game logic as it is a letter present in the solution word. Similarly, if you enter “I” in the yellow columns that occupy the same position as it does in the solution word, again, it doesn’t reconcile with the actions permitted within the game. 

Similarly, if a green “fixed green” tile appears in the guess-rows, then the corresponding letter must be input there to form an acceptable entry. For instance, in the screenshot above, only “L” can be entered in Row 4 column 4 as it is a green tile tethered to column 4 in the solution row.

The keyboard on-screen gives no feedback to players but can only as the device to input the letters into the grid.

Another thing to be aware of is the nature of an accepted guess on Reversle; when you input and hit enter to submit a guess if it gets accepted by the system, then the entire row gets absorbed into the grid, after which you cannot make any edits to it. That means, once you make an “acceptable” entry, it cannot be changed in the subsequent moves, making it that you only get 4 chances to solve the puzzle. However, this does not really affect your gameplay, as Reversle is not too strict about the occurrence and repetition of letters.

Jump rows when stuck to manage time better

We already discussed the system embedded time tracker and the pressure involved in solving the puzzle at the fastest pace. That demands you to make quick decisions in the game; however, since the movements on the board aren’t as restricted (as they are on other variants like Crosswordle), you can breeze through the game for the most part. For instance, you can start your first guess on any row or even leap to different rows depending on their responsiveness. Since you can choose any available row randomly to input a guess, it prevents bottlenecks in the game’s progress. 

Repeating letters on Reversle

Can you spot the error in gameplay in the screenshot below? 

Repeating letters are allowed in Reversle without much reservation. The only rule that has to be satisfied is the logic of its occurrence. In the screenshot above, “S” is repeated back to back in Row 2 columns 4 and 5. Under normal conditions, repeating the letter “S” multiple times should be fine, but in the case under consideration, as a letter that occurs in the solution row, it must receive a “yellow feedback” in the guess.

Even though it is rightly placed in the yellow tile in Row 2, it simultaneously contradicts two Wordle game logic — when repeating letters, the feedback is given to the first of the repeated letters unless 1) the second letter is in the right “green” position or 2) the letter repeats in the solution word as well, on which case both the letters would get yellow feedback.

Pointblank, you may repeat or reuse any valid or non-valid letter on multiple rows as long as they follow the order and principle of repetition. In the screenshot above, repeating letter “S” is accepted without a hitch by the system in Row 1 as they meet the rule of repetition followed in Wordle.

A similar conclusion can be made from the screenshot above that valid and non-valid letters can be reused in multiple rows without triggering error messages, as proven by the non-valid letter “A” and the valid letter “S” which cleared the system’s scrutiny to get accepted in multiple rows.

Reversle gameplay tips and tricks

Although time management is the key to scoring higher on Reversle, do not put yourself under too much stress while actually interacting with the game as it could end up being counterproductive. The trick is to stay focused and follow a plan. Lock in on a direction, up to down or bottom up, and try to create a rhythm. Although jumping rows is allowed, it is recommended only when you are stuck on a move. 

Using a reference or helper tool in parallel might help you solve the puzzle faster. For instance, websites like Word Hippo allow you to input specific queries like 5-letter words with “I” in the middle to get a curated list for reference. Refer to the linked article to find more Wordle (and in turn, Reversle) helper websites and tools.

Related: 8 Best ‘Wordle Helper’ Websites and Tips

Now comes the method to cheat. It is nothing fancy, nor is it difficult. In fact, it involves conscious effort from your end to complete it. We already saw the landing page of the Reversle game and how it welcomes players with a gray grid that awaits “activation”. In the gray grid, the solution word (for example, the word “SKILL” in the game captured in the screenshot below) is already visible even before activating the game. Hence, to cheat, all you have to do is to work it out on a paper on the side and quickly fill in the grid as soon as you activate it. This way, you can steal the win with an impressive time” record. Depending on the effort you input into solving the grid ahead of “playing” the game, the associated guilt also varies. If it is worth it, why not?

Reversle score and stats: Overview

Once you successfully solve the puzzle, the scoreboard popups with the challenge number; against the number, you will find the aggregate of time (in seconds). There is a separate record of solving-time taken marked against each row which can be used as feedback to evaluate your performance and find out where you spent too much time. 

You can even share the result by copying the result to your device clipboard. Just tap Copy to share! to fetch the content and share by pasting into the composition box of any messenger or social networking platform to send.

Reversle statistics holds the record of your overall performance in the game such as the current streak, longest streak, average time spent on the challenges and total number of games played. A crisp review of your gameplay is delivered in lucid figures on the game page thus.

Wordle variants like Reversle

If Reversle has managed to successfully win your favor, then you might want to try similar Wordle variants. We have done the job for you! If you like reverse Wordleing, Crosswordle and Revertle are variants that follow more in lines with Reversle in principles. 

You could call Crosswordle, a tougher alternative to Reversle as it involves more inherent restrictions in the gameplay. Revertle, on the other hand, is a mix of both Wordle and Reversle, where the secret word remains hidden but some of the letters are revealed from the beginning of the game to impede your movements.

Click on the link below to learn more about the Reversle like Wordles.

Related: 39 Unique Wordle spin-offs

That’s it! Hope our guide helps you speedsolve the Reversle puzzles every day!