Games
Wordle

Wait, what the hell is 'Wordle' hard mode?

Yes, we've technically been playing on easy mode this whole time 😬
By Rachel Thompson  on 
A woman plays Wordle on its official website on her iPhone
Wait, there's a HARD mode? Credit: Shutterstock / Tada Images

Are you a Wordle fanatic? Do bears do their ablutions in woodland areas? Why, yes!

Well, you've come to the right place.

If you eat, sleep, breathe all things Wordle related, then you might be interested to learn about something called "hard mode."

Hard mode is not just what everyone thought Wordle became after the New York Times bought it, but is really a setting you can activate to alter your game experience.

So, have we been playing Wordle on easy mode this entire time? Technically yes, but hard mode might actually make the game easier for you to play in the long run.

How to get 'hard mode'?

It's pretty straightforward, tbh. Next time you're about to play Wordle, tap the settings icon in the top right corner of the page. Simply toggle hard mode and you're off and away.

Wordle game screen obscured by pop-up messages which read "guess must contain T"
Credit: Screenshot: Wordle / New York Times

What does 'hard mode' do?

Good question. So, hard mode — in my opinion, at least — doesn't make Wordle harder. It just prevents you from making silly mistakes.

In short: it makes sure any revealed hints are used in subsequent guesses. If you enter a word that doesn't contain the hints you've gathered, you'll get a little pop up to inform you of the errors of your ways. And crucially, it prevents you from submitting that incorrect word. So, basically it means you don't waste a try guessing a word that doesn't contain a green or yellow letter.

Handy!

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Rachel Thompson

Features Editor

Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Based in the UK, Rachel writes about sex, relationships, and online culture. She has been a sex and dating writer for a decade and she is the author of Rough (Penguin Random House, 2021).


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