Google revealed that “Wordle” was its most-searched term throughout this year.
The daily game that gives players six chances to guess a five-letter word became a national craze toward the end of 2021. Google’s year-in-review released Wednesday shows the enthusiasm carried into this year.
“‘Wordle’ was the top trending search globally, as guessing five-letter words every day became a way of life,” the tech giant said in a press release.
The New York Times purchased Wordle in February, causing the game’s reach to expand even more (despite some criticism that the Times made the game more difficult).
It was created by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle in 2021, according to the Times. He originally made it for himself and his loved ones, but then made the game publicly available last fall.
Daily users shot up to 300,000 by the start of this year, and then up to two million daily users just two weeks later, according to Statista.
The Times has since partnered with Hasbro to make a board game version of Wordle, according to CNN.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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