Wordle, a simple daily word-guessing game, exploded in popularity in late 2021 and has since become a cultural staple. Its appeal lies in an elegant combination of restriction and creativity: players get six attempts to guess a five-letter target word, receiving color-coded feedback each guess. Green indicates a correct letter in the correct spot; yellow signals a correct letter in the wrong spot; gray means the letter is absent. That minimal rule set gives rise to surprising strategic depth, social rituals, and debates about difficulty, fairness, and cultural impact. Website: https://wordle-nyt.us/