I wait patiently as the clock hits midnight. It’s a new day, which means there’s a new Wordle to tackle. You may be wondering why I still bother to play the game even months after the initial craze. Well for one, I’m an avid puzzler and have been drawn to word games ever since I was little. But beyond the rush of excitement I get from solving a puzzle, Wordle has taught me a thing or two about the world around me. Most importantly, it’s brought me the gift of connection.
For starters, Wordle is symbolic of all the little things that bring my family together. Some of my favorite memories from this past summer are when my parents, brother and I congregated in the living room to play Wordle together. It effortlessly became our little tradition. From comparing our scores to attributing each others’ successes to sheer luck, every puzzle helped —- and continues to help — nurture laughs, comebacks and just joy.
Even now, despite being states apart, my family has stayed motivated enough to continue playing the puzzle through our group chat. Sharing our Wordle progress has become a consistent reason for my family to stay in touch with one another and together. Even if only for a few minutes at a time, we’ve been able to grow closer and connect more often through Wordle. It’s all been so unexpected and so wonderful.
In all honesty, I think a part of us is still invested in the puzzle because of each other. At the end of the day, Wordle is just a puzzle and 10 months is a long time to keep up with it daily. But it’s this element of unity that has given my family the extra push to play every night. I believe that people transform experiences and give them new meanings — whether or not they were the creator’s intention — and this is no exception.
Wordle has surely made its place in my family, but I’ve found its effects to be far broader than the four of us. It may have fizzled out a bit, but at its peak, Wordle was everywhere. I would hear it mentioned in conversations around me with people genuinely fearing spoilers. It was all over social media, my friends and I would religiously compare our scores and I would see people playing it at all times of the day. Wordle became a universal point of conversation — at least in my experience — and looking back at it now, it was such an incredible phenomenon.
Broadly speaking, the whole Wordle craze portrays such a sincere form of human connection. This singular game became a point of unification and commonality for people all around the world. I would see my extended family in India posting their scores and building conversations around the word of the day. Celebrities from around the world would share their Wordle squares on social media. And, of course, my small family of four continues to derive joy from doing the Wordle every night.
In my perspective, the game has humanized everyone a bit more. At the heart of it, we’re all more similar than we may think. Despite the wide range of personalities, interests and backgrounds we represent, no one is beyond the burst of excitement we feel after guessing the right five-letter word. It’s strangely comforting and uplifting to see everyone being united by something as simple as a word puzzle.
Wordle has surely had its contributions to 2022, no matter the level of significance it may have held from person to person. It surely made a mark within my own family. I know for a fact that shortly after midnight tonight, I’ll see tons of black, yellow and green squares pop up in the family group chat. Then, discussion will ensue. And tomorrow, the process will repeat. It might not go on forever but in a life full of ambiguity, I’ll appreciate this constant for however long it lasts.
Who would’ve thought a word game would lead to such beautiful unity and community, especially in my own home?
Niharika Singhvi is a Life Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at life@cavalierdaily.com.
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