Games like Wordle for a Multitude of Classrooms

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With all the online gaming today, there is a multitude of learning games that have a beneficial place in the classroom. Wordle, a very popular brain stimulation game, draws the attention of millions of users each day. In fact, Wordle is so popular that even the New York Times has acquired the rights in order to provide free gameplay to its daily users. With the main object being to guess a single word using clues given through listing up to six other words, this game is not only a hit with avid crossword solvers but also a hit in the classroom. Engaging students to use both vocabulary knowledge and strategic thought, Wordle is a fun way to stimulate decisive thought processes. Although Wordle itself can be used in the classroom, there are other similar platforms that not only help students learn different concepts but keep classroom gameplay fresh and exciting!

One such game is Squabble. Designed to be exactly like wordle, squabble makes it much easier for teachers to involve every student at once. With the ability to construct your own multiplayer game, you can invite each and every one of your students to compete against each other on their laptops or tablets. Operating with the same concept as Wordle, as students enter 5 letter words, letters in the word they input turn colors in accordance to their usage and placement in the mystery word. If the letters in any of the 6 words they enter as guesses turn yellow, that letter is in the mystery word but is in the wrong place. If the letters turn grey, that letter is not applicable and if the letter turns green, that letter is in the mystery word and is in the right place. Because there is a 6 line, five-letter word grid, in order to successfully win the game, players need to strategically enter word guesses based on the yellow, green, or gray clues provided in the last word entered. In order to win, you must find the mystery word within the 6 guesses. Unlike Wordle though, Squabble, a multiplayer game, rewards the player with extra time, while it reduces the time of the other players.

Another fun word game with classroom potential is SpellTower. Like the oh-so-popular Candy Crush, SpellTower is a word-find game in which you link letters to spell words forwards, backward, diagonally, vertically, and every way in between. If the letters touch, you can create words that use letters on multiple lines. The larger the word, the higher the score. Every time a word is found though, letters rise up from the bottom. Like Tetris, you need to keep the lettered squares from piling up to the top or you lose. Even higher scores can be achieved by using gold bonus tiles in word selections. The more gold squares you use in a single word, the higher your points will be. Although this is a great game to get kids competing with each other all while learning, this game is specifically for IOS or Android, so make sure your student’s peripheral devices are compatible.

Antiwordle is a perfect game in which your class can play a game that takes wordle in a whole different direction. Improving a student’s cognitive ability to apply different strategical thoughts within a familiar concept, Antiwordle keeps students on their toes. As the name suggests, Antiwordle is the exact opposite of wordle in that the goal is to not guess the word. Yet, while you type words in, the letters that are not in the word turn grey and can not be used again. Yellow, on the other hand, denotes a letter that is in the word, but unlike wordle, this letter must be used in the next guess. In contrast, when a letter turns red, it is in the word and in the right spot, just like in wordle, but the letter gets locked in place and must be used in that place in the next guess. Driving you to use letters that are in the word, all while requiring you not to guess the correct word in order to win, Antiwordle is a more challenging game than its original counterpart. Available on any web browser, this game should be universally compatible with all your classroom equipment.

Thanks to multiple Wordle spin-offs, you don’t have to be an English teacher to teach your students in a fun and engaging gameplay. Perfect for the history or geography classroom, Globle is a Wordle-based game that challenges users to play daily in order to guess a mystery country. A globe instead of a grid, the goal is to guess the correct country in the least amount of guesses. As you type in country names, they appear highlighted on the globe. The darker the highlight color, the closer that country is to the mystery country. Fun and exciting, Players not only guess country names but get to learn how to recognize them on a globe!

For you math teachers out there, there are a few Wordle-like games that get your students engaged and help you teach easy to more complex math concepts. Primel is one of those that focus on a more simplistic concept. Constructed just like Wordle, Primel has players seek out a 5-digit prime number in 6 guesses or less.

Another fun math game called Nerdle, is a more complex game that challenges users to guess a math equation and solution to win. Of course, the equation and solution must be mathematically sound, so users must understand and be able to employ PEMDAS to succeed. Turning correct numbers and symbols in the right place green, those in the wrong place purple, and those not in the equation black, Nerdlel gameplay is Wordle for number lovers.

Classroom games can engage students in a way no book can. I bet if you think back to your school days, some of your most prominent and positive memories about classroom learning involve a teacher who employed the use of a game to get you thinking. In this way, times have not changed; so make those kids’ day and use Wordle-like gameplay to bring smiles to their faces and knowledge to their brains.