Dordle asks you to solve for two words, but you can only guess one word at a time.
Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET
First came Wordle. Then came the endless Wordle knockoffs. Among them is Dordle, a devious word game that doesn’t let you off easy. You have to guess two five-letter words at the same time, but you can only input one word guess at a time. Play it and you’ll get it.
Wordle fever has calmed down a bit since the game exploded earlier this year, but I’m still a dedicated daily player. At one point, I was also playing four- and eight-word variations every day. Now I’m down to just two: Wordle and Dordle.
Dordle comes from indie games developer Guilherme Tows, who works under the name Zaratustra Productions. Tows credits Wordle with inspiring Dordle, which is described as “wordle plus wordle.”
I handily conquered the first Dordle I tried and was feeling pretty confident. Unlike Wordle, Dordle lets you keep playing with new puzzles if you choose the “free dordle” option. So then I tried the next one, got the word on the right side correct and totally biffed the word on the left. My beginner’s luck didn’t hold.
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This was my second attempt at Dordle and my first failure at Dordle.
Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET
I’ve since improved on my Dordle wins. I use a strategy of plugging in the same four opening words each day. Together, they cover the most popular letters in the alphabet and I rarely fail to get the right answers. Still, there’s enough going on to keep me engaged and happy in the pursuit.
If Wordle is a calm, breezy experience and you want to run your brain through the wringer a bit more, Dordle should give you some exciting moments. Or anxious moments. Or both.
Dordle isn’t a replacement for Wordle. It’s a different beast, one with two heads and a bit of an attitude. That’s what makes it fun and challenging.