Wordle, a small game played on a cell phone or computer, where you guess a certain word within six guesses, is now slowly taking over Generation Z. Every day, students hear questions like, “Did you get the Wordle?” or “How many guesses?” throughout the school day.

While students are being bombarded with these questions, these statements add more competition amongst students. Originally used to expand one’s vocabulary, Wordle is slowly becoming a competitive topic of discussion. 

 People state, “Yeah, well I got the word in three guesses.” With these statements, it sounds like many are bragging over guessing a small word. 

“Wordle is stressful because I have to try and beat my whole family,” sophomore Madelyn Richards said. 

Others are shamed for not getting the Wordle within fewer guesses, or using different starter words. Frowned upon words, such as “audio” or “adieu,” raise tensions within students. One may be called a cheater or be belittled for their word choice. 

Along with the competitiveness, there are high stakes with getting the word of the day. Anxiety washes over one while they try and get this word, and the closer they get to the sixth guess, the more one will stress. 

“It’s [Wordle] because you can’t always think of the right word and there’s a level of competition that makes you want to keep your streak and get it in as few guesses as possible,” junior McKenna Barrett said. 

Although competitiveness may bring anxieties, it can also be positive and bring people together. 

“I like Wordle because my family and I do it every night and make a competition out of it. It’s something to look forward to,” senior Carter Huggins said. 

Wordle allows people to come together and share how many guesses they got or how hard the word of the day was. Having this topic of conversation, especially during the school day, fills in for time and makes people excited to do the Wordle. Mentioning Wordle, one may speak to someone they do not necessarily talk to as often to converse and show each other their stats. 

Along with allowing people to communicate with each other, this game expands one’s vocabulary tremendously. There are many words that were confusing for many, some random words, such as the March 1 word, “rupee,” and even some words that may have some dialect differences. For example, “favor,” a word in America, is spelled differently in the United Kingdom (UK). As well as “bloke,” which is a word typically used in the UK. 

Expanding the vocabulary of many makes Wordle just as intriguing as it is built up to be. 

“Wordle helps expand my horizon on five-letter words that I never knew were a thing,” sophomore Logan Bickerstaff said. 

The topic of Wordle makes one’s ears perk up. Although the game may give one a short sense of anxiety, the game has many pros along with it as well. Some may argue, that there is no point to Wordle. However, many disagree. With expanding your vocabulary and allowing one to communicate with others, Wordle is an amazing game to play.