Since its release in 2021, Wordle has become a central part of the world's morning routine.
Blending the ingenuity of Scrabble with the potluck of Battleship, it takes only a few short minutes of your day to complete, all the while challenging your vocabulary and mental fortitude.
Gameplay is deceptively simple, requiring equal parts critical thinking and risk-taking. Each day, you’re presented with a brand new five-letter word that you must guess correctly in six attempts or less. Sin é.
This simple premise quickly became a viral hit and has continued to convert legions of smartphone users into daily gamers, many of whom collectively share their daily progress on social media.
Even in 2026, the game’s reach is undisputed, with entire websites dedicated to recording new words, hints, and solutions, sharing brand-new opening strategies, all so players can continue their win streaks and secure bragging rights.
But is it the end of the road for the viral puzzler? Alert the masses, as Wordle has dared to do the unthinkable – by repeating a previous answer.
Has the game finally run out of words?
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Déjà vu – the surprise return of a previous answer has alarmed players
Acquired by the New York Times for a seven-figure sum in 2022, Wordle has become a staple part of the publication. So much so that they have a dedicated editor, Tracy Bennett, who is responsible for choosing each new word that appears.
But in a statement published in the site’s Gameplay newsletter, the NYT revealed that moving forward, they may start reusing previous solutions, in a move that made headlines around the world. It reads:
"Hey, Wordlers! We have some exciting news to share. Starting on Monday, we will begin adding previously run words back into play. There are still many first-time answers to debut, but also more chances for Wordle in ones and those magical, serendipitous moments when Wordle overlaps with real life. Happy solving!"
In a reply to reader questions on the page, Bennett went on to explain that both new and older words will feature, saying: "When selecting words for a week, I'll be taking into account the balance of new versus previously used solutions, with an ongoing preference for words that haven't appeared before."
Now, the lifespan of Wordle has been on the radar for both Bennett and players for some time. In 2024, she touched on the topic of endgame, revealing that there were about 2,300 words left in the database.
And although adding new words was always a possibility, she also teased other options for fans to consider, including recycling older words, allowing plurals, or even introducing past tenses.
When they decided to reuse a word, Wordle quickly became a viral topic of discussion. As part of the February 2nd challenge, the game's very first word, CIGAR, reappeared, both to test the waters of the new rule change and also as a cheeky tribute to Groundhog Day.
Now, for some, this doesn’t seem all that newsworthy. The idea that a random word puzzle could return to previous answers might not seem all that controversial. But as a leading online game for millions of people, it's sparked all sorts of opinions on the future of the puzzle.
For me, any changes that aim to keep players engaged and guessing are a healthy thing to introduce. The whole point is to keep the challenge alive. But for some of Wordle’s more dedicated quizzers, it could strike a different chord.
Many keep lists of used words to best prepare themselves for future challenges. And reusing older answers raises those same concerns about the game’s longevity that first emerged back in 2024.
What happens when a word is repeated more than one? Or twice? What is the new balance of words going to be, and do staple strategies need to be overhauled? Could the game's appeal grow stale if the rulebook keeps changing?
Five. Six. Seven. Eight. New ways to enjoy the classic Wordle experience
Wordle’s influence is undisputable, and it has inspired so many new daily puzzle formats across the world, giving players lots of options for bite-sized brainteasers. Many of these could join or replace it in your new morning routine.
For wordsmiths ready for a new challenge, RTÉ’s Word Eile is worth a bash. Like Wordle, it challenges you to guess a brand new word each day, except with three different difficulty modes to choose from, including six, seven and eight-word combinations.
Adding extra letters not only expands the challenge but also ensures there will be no shortage of words to cycle through well into the future. You can start building those solution lists now.
There are also numerous Wordle spin-offs that come highly recommended, replacing word guessing with alternative gameplay. You could try language versions like Foclach, which is perfect for practising your cúpla focal in a fun, quick and easy way every day.
Heardle is also a great choice, replacing word guessing with song snippets. You must guess a song title within six attempts, and with each failed guess, you get to hear more of the song. Or for the aspiring geographers, you could try Worlde, where players guess random country outlines.
Like anything in gaming, if you have an interest in something, trust that there’s a Wordle variation to enjoy. The game format might have started (and will stay) with the five-letter combination, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more out there to challenge yourself on a daily basis.
For more online puzzle games, remember to check out RTÉ's Games Section. You can also find even more puzzle game recommendations from RTÉ Culture here. Happy brainstorming!
