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Wordle has been purchased by The New York Times

The company pays a sum "in the low seven figures" for the popular daily word game.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor

Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.

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I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.

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Corinne Reichert

Jan. 31, 2022 1:46 p.m. PT

2 min read

Wordle, the most popular online word game around right now, has been purchased by The New York Times, the company said Monday, adding that it paid "in the low seven figures" for the game.

Wordle is a daily word puzzle that's taken the internet by storm. It has millions of daily users, according to The New York Times. As a daily word game, Wordle also competes with The New York Times crossword.

Wordle creator Josh Wardle said his "game has gotten bigger than I ever imagined" and added he's "just one person."

"It is important to me that, as Wordle grows, it continues to provide a great experience to everyone," Wardle tweeted. "Given this, I am incredibly pleased to announce that I've reached an agreement with The New York Times for them to take over running Wordle going forward."

Wardle reassured players that the game will remain free and that he's working with The Times to make sure game streaks are preserved in the move of ownership.

The New York Times said its existing games were played more than 500 million times last year, with 1 million Games subscriptions as of December 2021.

"The Times looks to entertain more solvers with puzzles every day, especially during these anxious times," the company said in a statement Monday. "Wordle will be free to play for new and existing players, and no changes will be made to its gameplay."

Wordle features a new five-letter word every day that you get six guesses to get right. Boxes will turn yellow if you guess the right letter but in the wrong spot, or green for the right letter in the right spot. Gray boxes mean the letter isn't in the word at all.

Here are some strategies and tips on how to guess the correct Wordle word.