Game on! New York Times to celebrate 1,000th Wordle puzzle with prizes across the city the pay tribute to past answers • Brooklyn Paper

The New York Times is set to publish their 1,000th edition of their internationally popular puzzle game Wordle on March 15 and, in celebration, will host a party across New York City inspired by past answers to the mobile game.

Wordle was first launched by software engineer Josh Wardle in October of 2021. Within six months, the game rapidly evolved into a viral phenomenon, ritually practiced by millions of puzzling enthusiasts worldwide.

But the intention was never to create a game for profit, Wardle said — rather, to make something that would be enjoyable for his partner, Palak Shah.

“That was never the goal, really, to make money,” Wardle told Time Magazine in January 2022. “The goal was to make a game that my partner would enjoy playing.”

The game, which sees players guess a five-letter word in six chances every day, was acquired by the NYT in January of 2022. The publication has continued to dutifully release a new puzzle of varying difficulty levels each day since and will celebrate the puzzle by taking inspiration from past answers.

Interested Wordle players can participate in the citywide celebration simply by solving the 1,000th puzzle on March 15. Fanfare will begin at the Empire State Building, which will be lit green, yellow and white — the colors of Wordle’s famous tiles.

The first puzzle solvers who reach the building’s 86th floor will receive a gift (while supplies last), but those who aren’t able to make it will have other opportunities to celebrate, with iconic businesses and destinations offering up themed prizes in honor of past Wordle answers. 

Puzzlers can simply show their completed Wordle on March 15 for access to some of the most exclusive and exciting experiences around New York City. 

In Brooklyn, Wordle enthusiasts can admire the burgeoning spring FLORA at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for free, or get a suite at an upcoming Brooklyn Cyclones game where Wordle-rs can play CATCH on the field.

Other prizes and experiences across the Big Apple include a year of discounted MOVIE nights at Film Forum, a limited edition DONUT at Peter Pan Donut & Pastry shop and more.

The celebration will continue through the month of March outside of New York City with various companies like Duolingo, Headspace, Uber, Spotify, Recess and Wilson all getting in on the fun.

For a full list of participating entities or for information on how to celebrate the 1,000th Wordle Puzzle, visit the website here for more details.