We were as surprised as anyone by Wordle's shock announcement that, having run out of five-letter English words, the game will now be played exclusively in Danish. Ok, so that's not the most convincing April Fools ever, but we had to try! Wordle was first invented by Josh Wardle, a New York-based software engineer, who wanted a game "for me and my partner to enjoy," during the coronavirus lockdown.
After being released to the public in October 2021, Wordle quickly developed into a viral sensation, which was purchased by the New York Times in January 2022.
Speaking to Newsweek Erhan Aslan, associate professor of applied linguistics at the University of Reading in the U.K., gave some advice on playing the game.
He said: "One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen. Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful. Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j, or x, for instance, may not be the best choice.
"As you get more feedback after a few guesses, users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking. For example, if the second letter of the target word is l (indicated by green) and the player feels that the word starts with a consonant, they will need to know that there are only a few consonant cluster possibilities (such as bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl)."
The answer to today's puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself.
'Wordle' #651, Clues for Saturday, April 1
Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today's Wordle puzzle.
Hint #1: There is only one vowel.
Hint #2: The answer does not contain any repeated letters.
Hint #3: Something soldiers sometimes do.
Hint #4: Synonyms include "advance," "drill" and "parade."
Hint #5: Two of the first three letters in the alphabet feature.
'Wordle' #651 Answer for Saturday, April 1
The answer to today's Wordle is "March."
A commonly used word, Saturday's Wordle certainly isn't the toughest we've yet faced, but it was a good brainteaser and the sole vowel made it a bit more of a challenge. Did you get it? Congratulations if so, but please don't be perturbed if not. One of the best things about Wordle is seeing if you can improve your result over time. Either way, Newsweek will be back tomorrow with another round of hints and tips.
What Does 'March' Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "march" as "to move along steadily usually with a rhythmic stride and in step with others."
For example: "The recruits were ordered to march around the parade ground."
March is also the "third month of the Gregorian calendar" named after Mars, the Roman god of war.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
