The rules of the game are simple: players follow a color system to work out a five-letter word and have six attempts to get the answer.
After each guess, green tiles show if a player has chosen the correct letter and it is the right place. If you see a yellow tile, it means the letter is correct but in the wrong position while a gray tile indicates the letter is not in the word.
The game has proven to be addictive, going from 90 players in November 2020 to more than two million players today.
People have different ways of winning the game, including guessing mandatory words that crop up in their head and hoping they get lucky. Others may have a more contrived strategy, thinking of specific words with lots of vowels in such as “Adieu” or “Audio”.
Members of the public first started playing Wordle in October 2021. New York-based software engineer Josh Wardle created the game for his partner, who enjoyed puzzles, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wardle, who originally hails from Wales in the U.K., created the game for the two of them to play. The game quickly became popular after he introduced it to his inner circle and family members, so he circulated it to his wider social group.
The New York Times bought the rights to the game from Wardle in January 2022 for a sum “in the low seven figures,” the newspaper reported.
To help you crack today’s puzzle, Newsweek is on hand to provide some hints and tips.
Wordle #564: Clues and Tips for Wednesday, January 4
Players can use these five tips to solve Wordle puzzle #563.
Hint #1: There are no repeated letters.
Hint #2: The answer has two vowels in it.
Hint #3: The Wordle is a sheet, quantity or thickness of material, covering a surface or a body.
Hint #4: The first and fourth letters are vowels.
Hint #5: There is no letter “I” in today’s answer.
Wordle #564: Answer for Wednesday, January 4
The answer today’s Wordle is “LAYER.”
Players who found the puzzle difficult can wait for a new one when Wordle resets at 7 p.m. EDT.
For those who found it too easy, Quordle will prove more of a challenge as you have to guess four hidden words in only nine guesses.
There are also many other word games to try out, including Typochondria, Spellspire and Wordscapes. There’s also other fun daily games, such as music identification challenge Heardle, which was bought by Spotify.
Squabble mixes Wordle and battle royale, where you are fighting several other players.
