Recent updates
November 12, 2024: We've been through our list to make sure all these games are still playable and worth recommending, and also added a section for Knotwords, another Wordle-like game we thoroughly enjoyed.
Finding more games like Wordle is a great way to satisfy your daily puzzle craving. As much as we love it, having one puzzle a day to complete can leave you pretty lost. Especially if you didn't have a huge amount of success. Luckily once you start looking, there are a surprising amount of games that offer the same satisfaction as Wordle but in a different format to shake up your daily routine.
Thanks to the popularity of the formula curated by Wordle, there's no shortage of daily puzzle games that use letters, numbers, sounds, and even pictures that challenge you to guess the answer. Not every game like Wordle is worth your time, but among the hundreds that have appeared since the original, there are some real gems you should absolutely check out.
The best games like Wordle
Knotwords
What is it? A mashup of crosswords and anagrams
Frequency: Unlimited
Knotwords is similar to Wordle in the sense of needing to use letters to find words in a puzzle, but it comes with its own unique twist. You're already presented with the letters you need to use in sections of a crossword grid, you just need to figure out which words go in by using them. These challenges grow in difficulty as you progress, so you'll have a bigger challenge to face in only a matter of time. To lessen the blow, a little rabbit sits in the corner and cheers you on which helps those puzzles you just can't hack.
Nerdle
What is it? Wordle, but it's math
Frequency: Daily
Forget words and letters: Nerdle is for number lovers. You're trying to guess a new calculation each day, using numbers and operations. Wordle still rules apply: Any number or operation that appears in the correct place is green, magenta means it's in the puzzle but in the wrong spot, and black if it doesn't appear at all. Also, as with Wordle, it's not just about doing math but using clues. For instance, the = appearing in the 7th slot means the answer is only a single digit, which is a big help narrowing the answer down. I am truly rotten at math but cracking a calculation in Nerdle is still pretty darn satisfying.
Quordle
What is it? Wordle, but four words at a time
Frequency: Daily
Wordle gives you six tries to guess a single word, but Quordle gives you nine tries to guess four words. Each guess you make appears in all four puzzles, so focusing on a single word means you're still burning through your guesses in the other puzzles. It's definitely tricky, but if you love Wordle this gives you a bigger and more challenging dose of the same daily gameplay.
Worldle
What is it? Wordle, but with countries
Frequency: Once a day
In Worldle you're presented with the shape of a country, and guess which one it is. Each guess you make tells you how close your guess is to the answer in kilometers and what direction the answer is in from the country you guessed, which will hopefully narrow down your next guess. It makes a great refresher course on country shapes, names, and locations for those of us who haven't been to geography class in a couple decades, and there's a nice autocomplete feature, too, meaning you don't need to know how to perfectly spell Liechtenstein to guess it.
Absurdle
What is it? Wordle, but everchanging and evil
Frequency: Unlimited
Wordle picks one secret word and has you attempt to guess it, whereas Absurdle selects a secret word at the beginning, and changes it after each guess. Developer qntm explains that "Each time you guess, Absurdle prunes its internal list as little as possible, attempting to intentionally prolong the game as much as possible." When you guess a letter correctly, Absurdle still picks a new secret word for you next attempt, but it keeps that same letter. It is definitely a masochistic experience that is designed for frustration, but it's perfect if a Wordle roguelike is your cup of tea.
Heardle
What is it? Wordle, but with music
Frequency: Daily
Music lovers, this one's for you. Heardle gives you six guesses to identify a song, and your first guess is based on just a one-second sound clip of the intro. That's it! Guess wrong and you get a few more seconds. It's immensely satisfying to correctly nail a song in one guess, but it's also fun when it takes a while to realize what song it is. An auto-fill feature helps you narrow it down if you think you know the performer but can't quite remember the song.
Framed
What is it? Wordle, but for movies
Frequency: Daily
Starting with a single frame from a movie, guess which film it is. If you're wrong, you get another frame, and you have six guesses total. Framed is Wordle but for film buffs—and refreshingly it's one of the rare Wordle-like games that bucks the trend of adding 'le' somewhere in its name. An autocomplete feature means as long as you know some of the film's title you can still win.
Waffle
What is it? Wordle, but with six words plus drag-and-drop
Frequency: Daily
Waffle gives you a grid with all the letters already in it, though most are in the wrong place. You're trying to solve six different words: three across and three down. And rather than typing letters, you drag-and-drop them. Green letters are already in the correct spots, and yellow are part of the word but in the incorrect spot (though at an intersection yellow could mean it's in the correct row or column). It's sort of like you're putting together a tiny crossword puzzle with a pool of letters. And there are different degrees of winning: You have a total of 15 swaps, but every Waffle can be solved in just 10. So, before you drag a letter somewhere else, try to make sure it's an optimal move and the letter you're swapping for will also wind up in the right place.
Crosswordle
What is it? Wordle, in reverse
Frequency: Daily/unlimited
In Crosswordle you've got the answer automatically right at the bottom. Your goal is to fill in the rest of the puzzle from the top town, essentially adding all the incorrect guesses to make a completed Wordle grid. If you see a green square it needs a letter in the right place, yellow needs a letter in the wrong place, and gray means the letter is not in the final puzzle. Pretty crafty and plenty challenging as you try to think up incorrect words that still perfectly fit the parameters. In addition to a daily puzzle there are easy, medium, and hard modes and you can play them as often as you like.
Dungleon
What is it? Wordle, but a dungeon crawler
Frequency: Daily
No letters here, just a blank grid representing a dungeon. What's in the dungeon? Some combination of heroes, monsters, and treasure, represented by charming little icons you click to select instead of letters. At first it seems like just a guessing game, but there are some stated rules (each dungeon has at least one hero and one monster) and a number of secret rules players have been slowly uncovering. Some rules even subvert other rules, adding an enjoyable complexity. Throw in some magic spells and Dungleon becomes great daily puzzle filled with secrets you slowly learn over time.
Squareword
What is it? Wordle, but a 5x5 square
Frequency: Daily
With 15 guesses you'll need to solve for 10 words, which seems like a tall order. But Squareword's words run both across and down, so each letter you place correctly will appear in multiple words. There's another huge help: a column on the right shows the letters you've guessed that were in the wrong spot, which'll help you narrow down your guesses. It takes a few tries but once you're thinking in both directions, Squareword becomes an enjoyable daily challenge.
Squabble
What is it? Wordle, but competitive multiplayer
Frequency: Unlimited
Wordle is already sort of multiplayer: I mean, absolutely everyone is playing it. But Squabble is true multiplayer in a battle royale fashion. Quickly jump into a game with random players or invite your friends using a lobby code, and get ready for a fast-paced game of Wordle. Each incorrect guess lowers your health while a correct guess heals you. You can see your opponents' progress, adding to the tension as you guess words as quickly as possible. Players who run out of health are eliminated and the last one standing wins. There's a Blitz mode for 2-5 players and a Royale mode that can support up to 99.
