When New York based software engineer Josh Wardle first created Wordle during the coronavirus lockdown, he surely had no notion he was about to launch a global sensation.
Indeed, Wardle's initial aim was remarkably modest, with him simply aiming to create a game "for me and my partner to enjoy."
Everything changed in October 2021 when Wardle released Wordle to the general public, after which the game quickly picked up a devoted following around the world, with some players taking to social media each day to share their scores and discuss techniques.
Such was Wordle's popularity that in January 2022 it was purchased by The New York Times for an undisclosed low seven-figure sum, though it remained free to play.
In an interview with Newsweek, Erhan Aslan, who teaches applied linguistics at the University of Reading in the U.K., provided some advice for Wordle players.
He said: "One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen. Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful. Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j, or x, for instance, may not be the best choice.
"As you get more feedback after a few guesses, users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking. For example, if the second letter of the target word is l (indicated by green) and the player feels that the word starts with a consonant, they will need to know that there are only a few consonant cluster possibilities (such as bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl)."
The answer to today's puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself.
'Wordle' #1,050, Clues for Saturday, May 4
Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today's Wordle puzzle.
Hint #1: The answer contains three vowels.
Hint #2: There are no repeated letters.
Hint #3: Synonyms for today's Wordle include "amount," "cost" and "expense."
Hint #4: The final letter is a vowel.
Hint #5: One of the first four letters in the alphabet features.
'Wordle' #1,050, Answer for Saturday, May 4
The answer to today's Wordle puzzle is "value."
Well that was a fun one! A fairly common word, containing three vowels, it admittedly wasn't one of the toughest Wordle puzzles we've yet faced but it was still a good brainteaser.
Congratulations if you figured it out but please don't be put off if not. One of the best things about Wordle is seeing if you can improve your results over time and another puzzle will be released on Sunday, when Newsweek will be back to provide another round of hints and tips.
What Does 'Value' Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines value as "the monetary worth" or the "relative worth, utility, or importance" of an item or action.
For example: "I'd say the value of your car is something like $25,000."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
