It’s been 14 months since Wordle was first released to the public by Josh Wardle, a New York-based software developer, yet the game shows few signs of losing its extraordinary appeal.
Each day, Wordle players have to figure out a new five-letter word in six attempts or less. After each guess the letters light up, indicating how close to the answer you were. Once all five letters are lit up in green you have the right answer.
In a January 2022 interview with Newsweek, Wardle explained why he settled on five-letter words for his puzzles. He said: “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.”
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Speaking to Newsweek, Joel C. Wallenberg, a senior lecturer in language change at the University of York, U.K., described the appeal of language-based puzzles.
He said: “Language games poke at how conscious (or unconscious) we are of our own linguistic processes, and maybe give us a little more insight into them than we had before. That might be one reason why humans, maybe universally, have always invented and enjoyed language games!”
In January 2022, Wardle sold Wordle to the New York Times, for a seven-figure sum, though the game remains free for users to play.
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’ #708, Clues for Sunday, May 28
Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today’s Wordle puzzle.
Hint #1: The answer only contains one vowel.
Hint #2: There are no repeated letters.
Hint #3: Synonyms for today’s answer include “scrape,” “pinch” and “save.”
Hint #4: The third letter is a vowel.
Hint #5: None of the first three letters in the alphabet feature.
‘Wordle’ #708, Answer for Sunday, May 28
The answer to today’s Wordle is “Skimp.”
Well, that was a tough one! A relatively uncommon word, only containing one vowel, Sunday’s Wordle is likely to have challenged even experienced players of the game. Did you get it? Congratulations if so, but please don’t be put off if not. Not all Wordle puzzles are this challenging, and Newsweek will be back on Monday with another round of hints and tips.
What Does ‘Skimp’ Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “skimp” as: “To give insufficient or barely sufficient attention or effort to or funds for.”
For example: “Are you going to try hard in the exam, or are you going to skimp?”