Wordle is a simple, addictive word-guessing game that rose from a small, personal project into a cultural phenomenon. Launched in late 2021 by software engineer Josh Wardle and later acquired by The New York Times, the Wordle website game offers a single daily puzzle: guess a five-letter target word in six tries using color-coded feedback. Despite its minimalist presentation, Wordle's design, social dynamics, and psychological hooks reveal why it resonated so widely.