Aspen Crick
Contributor
@Wordle
"It's like a little shot of espresso or a little treat. It's fun. A break from thinking about all the bad news", expressed English professor at our very own Dawson College, Sarah Gilbert, when describing her typical experience playing Wordle.
Available in English, Spanish, German, French, among many other languages, Wordle is now trending. Wordle has become the new craze in toying with language. Mentioned in CBC News, The Guardian, The Montreal Gazette, and just about anywhere one can get their daily dose of news, it’s in your face: an article about the new word game. Especially popular with English teachers and students, it has gained popularity across all social media networks.
You flex your brain by trying to guess a five-letter word within the six tries you have. If you do not succeed in the end, it will tell you anyway. Colours provide hints: darker grey means the letter is not in the word, yellow indicates the letter is in the word but not in the right spot, and green means the letter is in the word and in the right spot, while letters you haven't used yet are left in light grey.
Just imagine having a long day of school assignments, cramming for the midterm exams and/or working at the same time. This is already a reality for most CEGEP students. Why not take a break while also giving yourself a small challenge– trying to guess the five-letter word of the day?
Sarah Gilbert describes Wordle as "a little cookie […] a 5-10 minutes [of] pure distraction."
It is seen as a nightly ritual for a 2nd-year child studies student, Daniella Sforza. Sforza recounts it as something she plays every night with her mom and brother. The two of them usually beat her by guessing the word first. Typically, people post their results on Twitter, but why not mix it up and make it a short family game night activity?
If it becomes too easy, why not try it in a different language? If your second language is French, it might be an excellent way to squeeze in some language exploration and discover new words.
"Big picture, anything that encourages you to play with language is good. As an English teacher, I am all for playing with letters, words, sentences, paragraphs, you know, playing with words at any level," explains Sarah when asked about the effects of playing Wordle.
Now with the stamp of approval from a college-level English teacher, what more could one need? It is, after all, already sweeping the language fanatic nation.
"I think it's caught on because it's so simple and yet always different," continues Sarah.
That is definitely a good way to describe it, as sometimes the words are not so simple and seem beyond the grasp of college students.
"I also feel like I sometimes I don't know the word exists […] and I just feel really stupid at the end," explains Daniella. Wordle is teaching us new five-letter words whether we are pleased about it or not. Since the word changes daily, one could always redeem themselves the next day. Until now, it might have seemed like expanding one's vocabulary is too big of an undertaking. However, Wordle makes it easier: a couple of minutes a day, and you will become a language whiz.
"Everyone should play Wordle. It's fun. Play with your friends, play with your family, play with everyone," was the last thing Daniella Sforza had to say. She gave the final verdict; now go try it out if you’re not already hooked!