10 games like Wordle you should add to your daily playlist

Want more games like Wordle? The free daily word puzzle has become incredibly popular and for many of us it's now a part of our daily routine. But the one drawback of Wordle is you can only play it once a day… which may leave you hungry for other games like it.

Luckily, Wordle has inspired tons of other developers to create their own twists on the pleasing formula, and there's no shortage of games about dropping letters, numbers, and even pictures into a grid as you try to solve a puzzle. Not every Wordle-like game is worth your time, but among the hundreds that have appeared in the past few months, there are some real gems you should absolutely check out.

The best games like Wordle

Below you'll find the best games like Wordle we've played. Some, like Wordle, are once-a-day puzzles and others you can play as often as you want. There's even one you can play in real-time with other people.

And if you have some favorites of your own, we'd love to hear about them in the comments.

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 Wordle 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. 

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 5×5 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. 

Eldrow

What is it? Wordle, but you choose the word and the game tries to guess it
Frequency: Unlimited

Want to turn the tables on the dictionary? In Eldrow you think up the secret five-letter word and see if you can stump the game. Eldrow will make a guess, and then you click the letters of its guess to assign colors so it knows what it got right or wrong. Then it'll guess again. I honestly haven't been able to stump it for more than a few guesses—it's memorized the dictionary, after all—but it's sure fun to try.

Weredle

What is it? Wordle, but one letter is lying (maybe)
Frequency: Daily

Wordle can be a challenge but at least it's honest. Not so in Weredle, where one tile is always a werewolf. The werewolf tile may lie to you, giving you a false positive on its letter. Or, it may not! That's the vexing thing about it. After your first guess, click a blank tile to guess where the werewolf is. Then guess again, keeping in mind one of the letters in your guess may not be as it seems. If you correctly identify the werewolf, you can trust each letter in your guess again, and hopefully you'll still have enough time to solve the puzzle.