Absurdle review

Absurdle is the free Wordle alternative for players who want to be pushed. Its author, qntm, describes it as an adversarial variant: the mechanics and word lists are nearly identical to Wordle, but instead of picking one secret word, the game keeps every possible answer from its 2,315-word list that fits your guesses and, after each guess, keeps the largest group of remaining words. In practice it dodges you until you corner it, so there is no turn cap and a casual game can easily last more than a dozen turns. The algorithm is deterministic, so the same guesses always produce the same game, which makes it a fun puzzle to study. The page runs free in a browser with random guess and give up buttons. The author said not to expect a daily challenge mode or persistent statistics, so this is not a daily habit game. We compared documented features and published prices.

Who it is for

Expert players who find Wordle too easy

Price

Free in a web browser; no paid plan.

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Same mechanics as Wordle with very similar word lists
• Considers every possible secret word and prunes as little as possible after each guess
• No turn cap, unlike Wordle's 6 turns
• Deterministic: the same guesses always produce the same game
• Random guess and give up buttons on the game page

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: A real strategy challenge for players who solve Wordle easily
• Strength: Free in any browser with no account
• Strength: Author explains the full algorithm with worked examples
• Weakness: Author said not to expect a daily challenge mode or persistent statistics
• Weakness: Games can run well past a dozen turns
• Weakness: No app version

Key facts

• Author: qntm
• Possible answers: 2,315-word list
• Turn cap: None

Where it ranks

Absurdle is No. 10 in our Best Free Wordle Games verdict.