Wordle owes its origins to the first coronavirus lockdown when it was invented by Josh Wardle, a New York-based software engineer, who simply wanted a game “for me and my partner to enjoy.”
Despite these humble beginnings, Wordle quickly became a viral sensation after being released to the public in October 2021. In January 2022, Wardle sold his game to The New York Times for an undisclosed seven-figure sum, though it remained free to play.
In an interview with Newsweek, Joel C. Wallenberg, a senior lecturer in language change at the University of York in the U.K., argued that Wordle’s popularity reflects the longstanding human interest in language.
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Wallenberg said: “Language always seems to be fascinating to people. This is perhaps because producing and understanding language is a fantastically complex process, and we are only aware of the tiniest bit of that process while it’s going on; most of what we do when we speak, we do unconsciously. But it may be that people have an inkling that they’re doing something very involved and impressive when they speak, even if they don’t know the details or why it should be that way.
“Language games poke at how conscious (or unconscious) we are of our own linguistic processes, and maybe give us a little more insight into them than we had before. That might be one reason why humans, maybe universally, have always invented and enjoyed language games!” Wallenberg added.
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’ #812, Clues for Saturday, September 9
Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today’s Wordle puzzle.
Hint #1: There are no repeated letters.
Hint #2: You’d certainly feel this if you won the lottery.
Hint #3: Synonyms include “fortuitous” and “advantageous.”
Hint #4: The second letter is a vowel.
Hint #5: One of the last three letters in the alphabet features.
‘Wordle’ #812, Answer for Saturday, September 9
The answer to today’s Wordle puzzle is “lucky.”
Did you get it? As a relatively common word, this certainly wasn’t the toughest Wordle puzzle we’ve yet faced. If you did get it right, congratulations, but please don’t be put off if not. One of the best things about Wordle is seeing if you can improve your score over time, and Newsweek will of course be back on Sunday with another round of hints and tips.
What Does ‘Lucky’ Mean?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines “lucky” as “having good things happen to you by chance.”
For example: “The lucky winner will be able to choose from three different holidays.”
