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By Sophie Lloyd
Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter
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Since it was uploaded to the web in October 2021, Wordle has done what few viral sensations are able to manage—it's remained popular.
After reaching 2 million players within just four months, Wordle grabbed the attention of The New York Times, who purchased the word puzzle game from its creator Josh Wardle in January 2022 for a seven-figure sum.
But why has Wordle continued to entertain puzzle nerds, when other internet fads have come and gone? Wardle believes it's the game's simple premise.
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The Brooklyn-based software engineer never intended for Wordle to take over the internet. He designed the game during the covid-19 pandemic, as a gift for his crossword-loving partner, Palek Shah.
According Wardle, the puzzles are tough enough to challenge players, but aren't so difficult that users get frustrated and switch off.
"There is a reason that every word is five letters long and that you are allowed six attempts to guess it," Wardle told Newsweek in 2022. "That might seem arbitrary but, with the prototype version, I tested different word lengths and experimented with the number of tries that players were allowed.
"Through that process of refinement, I figured out that five letters and six tries was the ideal sweet spot. It's just limited enough to feel challenging and to make you think, but most of the time people still manage to solve it. So, you feel a real sense of real accomplishment."
Shah helped Wardle to curate the original list of 2,315 possible answers. The daily word choice was randomized, so the couple were on equal footing when solving the brainteasers. However, after purchasing Wordle, NYT removed six words that could be deemed offensive, outdated or just didn't use a U.S. spelling.
If you're finding today's Wordle puzzle a challenge, Newsweek has gathered a few hints to help you find the answer.
'Wordle' #1,088 Clues for Tuesday, June 11
Hint #1: Today's Wordle is a noun.
Hint #2: The answer contains two vowels.
Hint #3: One letter is used twice.
Hint #4: Today's Wordle ends with a vowel.
Hint #5: The answer begins with the letter "M."
'Wordle' #1,088 Answer for Tuesday, June 11
The answer to today's Wordle is "Mecca."
If you found today's puzzle difficult, you can try again when Wordle resets at midnight in your time zone.
In the meantime, why not give Connections a go? NYT's second most-popular game after Wordle, Connections challenges players to group words into categories by association—and we've got some handy hints to help.
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