About four weeks ago, I started playing Wordle. The game was impossible to ignore given its ascension into the current pop culture discussion and the prevalence of social media box score posting. At the same time that I started to play it daily, I introduced Wordle to my family via our text messaging thread. Before long, my wife, siblings, and sister-in-law were all hooked. It is yet another thing that keeps us all connected and our text message thread booming.

I thought I would make four non-strategic observations I have had about the game since I started to play.

Just like with everyone else in the world, I play Wordle. I have a few observations.

– Is it harder to win than lose? I am yet to not solve a puzzle. But I say that in a very humble way. It just seems that by the fifth or sixth try the word will become apparent just by the process of elimination. I imagine that Wordle experts gauge success by the number of guesses and the time it takes to solve the puzzle.

– Speaking of time efficiency with Wordle, it isn’t my strong suit. I mentioned I haven’t missed a puzzle but I do take my sweet time. It isn’t uncommon for me to sit frustrated for several minutes as I submit my next guess. Sometimes Sid and I will go head-to-head to see who can solve the puzzle first with my better half usually winning.

– On the subject of the Wordle rivalry between my wife and I…we usually don’t compete head-to-head just because Sid mostly completes the puzzle early in the day and I complete it at night in bed. I am not a big fan of Sid looking over my shoulder while I work though the daily Wordle but she sure gets a kick out of it, especially when I struggle. “Are you going to play a word?” is a favorite line of hers as I lay stumped with my phone in my hands at 11 p.m.

– A major key to the success of Wordle is its lack of an on-demand app as there is just one puzzle per day (on a website of all places). I appreciate that the game isn’t overwhelming and there isn’t some scoring system that incentivizes players from spending all day solving a hundred different puzzles. Everyone is on the same level, everyone is given the same daily opportunity. I appreciate that.

Why does or why doesn’t Wordle appeal to you? Please feel free to let me know. Don’t Blink.