Buzz
If geography always caught your interest more than spelling, you're in for a treat. The latest addition to the Wordle-inspired genre is a global contender named 'Worldle.' This geography-themed guessing game is highly likely to shatter the confidence you've built with your 25-day Wordle streak.
But don’t let the tough challenge discourage you. Instead, let it motivate you. Play Worldle daily. Allow it to test you so that a stronger, more knowledgeable version of you can rise, like a phoenix from the ashes—a phoenix who can actually pinpoint Afghanistan on a map.
What’s the purpose of Worldle?
Guess the hidden country or region by its outline.
How Worldle works
We’re assuming you clicked on this article because you’re already familiar with—and maybe getting a bit tired of—Wordle’s gameplay. (If you're not, feel free to refresh your memory on how the game works here.)
Similar to Wordle, Worldle gives you six attempts to guess the right country. After each guess, you’ll be shown (1) the distance in kilometers (or miles) between your guess and the correct location, (2) an arrow pointing in the direction you need to go, and (3) a proximity percentage showing how close you are globally.
For example, if you’re given a silhouette of France and guess China (no judgment!), you’ll find out that you’re 8,042 kilometers away from the correct country, with an arrow pointing west to guide you in the right direction.
How to Succeed at Worldle
Travel back in time and fix the American education system. Unlike Wordle, which only requires you to know the existence of various five-letter words, Worldle demands much more comprehensive knowledge.
If you don’t instantly recognize the country from its outline, the best approach is to use whatever geography knowledge you have to triangulate the answer.
This means you should start by narrowing down which continent the country is on, and then use the distance and directional hints to get closer to the correct location. Unfortunately, at some point, you’ll need to know the country names within that region. Yesterday, I was down to Poland, Austria, and Slovakia, but even after the answer was revealed, I realized I would never have guessed it—turns out it was Czechia, in case you were curious.
Why You Should Play Worldle
Worldle is objectively a more impressive game to master than Wordle. While I’m not here to compare two great games, Worldle has the advantage of teaching or refreshing real-world knowledge. I know the geography I learned in American schools is far behind other countries’ curriculums. Perhaps Worldle is a small form of resistance, a step toward resilience, a way of self-improvement that also helps improve the global perception of Americans. Or maybe it's just a fun side game to Wordle.
Final Thoughts
If you find Worldle too easy, you can increase the difficulty by rotating the country image randomly or even hiding it completely, relying only on the directional hints. Play here.
While the gameplay exists in the Wordle universe, Worldle presents a completely different kind of challenge. If it doesn’t fill the Wordle-shaped void in your heart, there are other Wordle alternatives to explore.
