How To Play Wordle For Free (Forever)

The viral sensation Wordle gained so much traction in large part because of how accessible it is, and it staying free after its acquisition by The New York Times is a concern for many. Players can participate in the daily word puzzle on any web browser, and there are no ads or paywalls getting in the way of its simplistic UI and straightforward premise. However, Wordle enthusiasts are starting to worry that may change in the near future. Given that The New York Times acquired ownership of Wordle for around $1 million, it seems likely it could turn the game into paid content. Fortunately, there are a few ways to work around whatever monetization efforts may end up happening.

Wordle was developed as a personal project by creator Josh Wardle, inspired in large part by the daily puzzle games featured in The New York Times. When he spoke up about the NY Times purchase of Wordle, he stated that it felt like a natural progression for the company to take over ownership of the game. A larger team should theoretically be better able to accommodate the now-massive audience that Wordle has found, and The New York Times could introduce helpful new features such as synced progress across devices and more varied social sharing features.

While both Wardle and The New York Times confirmed that Wordle will still be free to access for both new and returning players of the game, many players were thrown off by the NYTimes word choice, specifying that Wordle would remain “initially” free of monetization. Given that many other games featured on the NYTimes website are similarly locked behind a paywall, some for as much as $5 a month, it seems inevitable that Wordle will either be entirely monetized or plagued with ads and microtransactions in the near future. Naturally, fans of the game are beginning to look to ways to avoid this possibility by figuring out how to keep Wordle free forever.

How To Save Wordle & Play For Free

As it turns out, Wordle can actually be played completely offline. The game runs entirely in the browser, and the daily words are contained in the site’s code. This explains how the word is the same for everyone. The answer isn’t randomized, it’s just that Wordle utilizes the source code’s ordered word list. As Twitter user Aaron Rieke pointed out, players can save a copy of the website to their local device, turn off their computer’s Wi-Fi connection, and play Wordle locally. Since the game’s sharing features are also just copy-and-pasted rather than requiring users to log into social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook, scores can also still be shared with other players and friends while offline.

Wordle can likewise be accessed for free through any mirrored version of the site, like copies stored on the Internet Archive. Theoretically, users could save stats like word streaks on these mirrored sites, and assuming the system time on their device is accurate they could still access the correct daily Wordle word. Unfortunately, it also remains a possibility that The New York Times will change how Wordle operates, moving away from client-side support or changing the word list present in the source code to differentiate between users playing the official version of Wordle and those using mirrored sites.

Of course, the actual details of Wordle‘s future remain to be seen. For the time being, it might be a good idea for Wordle fans to save a copy of the website regardless in preparation for whatever changes may come. That way they can at the very least ensure that Wordlewill remain free to play on their personal device forever.

Source: Aaron Rieke/Twitter.

About The Author

Ky Shinkle
(528 Articles Published)

Ky Shinkle is a Senior Gaming Features Writer for Screen Rant as well as an overall avid gamer and writer. Her prior experience is primarily that of a narrative designer for video games, although her writing has covered all formats from screenplays and novels to stage scripts. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, when she isn’t writing she works on digital media projects and other types of fiction writing. Ky currently works out of Ohio and enjoys spending her free time either playing RPGs or running with her dog.

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