Wordle review

Wordle ranks first because it is the simplest free word game an adult can start today and still come back to every morning. The New York Times describes it as the official Wordle: you have six tries to guess a hidden five-letter word, with a new puzzle each day. It plays in a web browser at nytimes.com and inside the free NYT Games app, which adds Wordle Bot to analyze your guesses, badges for streaks, stats for your longest solving streak, and a leaderboard to follow friends' daily scores. The free daily puzzle needs no purchase. A New York Times Games subscription, listed on the US App Store from $4.99 a month, opens the archive of past puzzles. The limits are part of the design: one puzzle a day and no live matches against other players. We compared documented features and published prices only.

Who it is for

Adults who want one quick, free word puzzle a day in a browser or on their phone.

Price

Free to play; the NYT Games app is free to download, and an optional Games subscription adds the puzzle archive.

Free to download, the app offers new puzzles daily for every skill level.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• One new puzzle a day: guess the 5-letter word in 6 tries or fewer
• Wordle Bot analyzes your guesses
• Badges for streaks and wins
• Stats track your longest solving streak
• Leaderboard to follow friends' daily scores

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Takes a few minutes a day
• Strength: Plays in a web browser at nytimes.com or in the NYT Games app
• Strength: Wordle Bot helps you improve your guesses
• Weakness: Only one new puzzle a day
• Weakness: The puzzle archive is for subscribers
• Weakness: No head-to-head play

Key facts

• Format: Guess a 5-letter word in 6 tries
• Publisher: The New York Times
• Archive: Subscribers can play past puzzles
• Extras: Wordle Bot, badges, stats, friends leaderboard

Where it ranks

Wordle is No. 1 in our Best Free Word Games verdict.