WORDLE.

• Author: Soave, Robby
• Position: GAME

Wordle, a game hosted on the website of creator Josh Wardie, is simple: The object is to guess a five-letter word using no more than six attempts. Once a guess is entered, the computer highlights the letters that appear in the solution. A correctly placed letter is shaded green. That's it! Most puzzles take just a few minutes to solve.

So why has this straightforward game taken social media by storm? In mid-December, Wardle made it easier for players to share their scores without revealing the answers, creating considerable competition. It's rewarding to win in four...