I don’t know how many of you play the New York Times word game Wordle, but it is more than just a game. For those of you who do not play, you start the game with a five-letter word of your choosing and you have six tries to correctly guess the word of the day. I start each morning with the same word; I like the consistency. However, some people, like the Pope, start each morning with a new five-letter word as they begin the game. Obviously, solving the word in three or four tries starts my morning off right. Some mornings, I guess the correct word on my sixth and final try and I am still pleased just to keep my winning streak. However, I realize Wordle isn’t just about the word game — it’s actually about community, friendship, and family.
Each morning, Wordle is one of the first things I do when I wake up. I immediately send my score to my sister and her entire family, a best friend in the D.C. area, and another bestie and former roommate in Los Angeles. As I’ve talked to other people who play Wordle and send their scores to friends and family around the country (and the world) each morning, I realize that some of these games we play are much deeper than just the game. For so many of us, it’s a way to check in with close loved ones each morning. They know I am well and among the living, and I hear from them and know all is well.
When my college roommate in Los Angeles was transient last year during the Altadena wildfires, it was Wordle that let me know he was safe each morning, even if I didn’t know exactly where he was staying. As I asked around, I realized that these “games” served as a new form of communication for so many families. We all lead such busy lives, but the daily text with my entire family is a way to slow down just a bit. And the smack talk on certain days is a welcome addition — and antidote — to the stresses of life.
Your game of choice may not be Wordle, but I strongly suggest finding something that binds the family or friend group chats. Although we are no longer in Covid lockdown, I am noticing a certain level of stress, anxiety, fear, and loneliness among my students. Something is amiss and I can tell that many adults are feeling the same emotions as these young people. Sometimes we can’t fully articulate what is “off,” but we can find ways to create varying levels of community with those we care about near and far. Give Wordle, or something similar, a try and spread the word.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.