Love Wordle? Here Are 10 Other Puzzle Games to Try Now

If you kick off your mornings with Wordle and finish it in just two minutes, craving more, you’re in luck. There are tons of free daily puzzle games that hit the same spot, and some are even more addictive.

Wordle, the five-letter word guessing game where you have six tries to guess a hidden word, took the world by storm after the New York Times acquired it in 2022. This popularity sparked a wave of spin-offs that are more challenging, quirky, or both.

Here are 10 games you should bookmark, whether you’re looking for a quick distraction during lunch or a tough challenge for your brain.

The Best Wordle Alternatives Right Now

1. Quordle

Imagine Wordle, but you’re tackling four puzzles at once, using the same guesses for all four boards. You get nine attempts. It sounds tough, and it is, but in a fun way. You can play for free at quordle.com.

2. Waffle

In this game, letters are already placed on a grid in a waffle shape. You swap them around to create six valid words, but you only have 15 moves. Every swap counts, so you can’t just guess randomly.

3. Nerdle

This one’s for math lovers. Instead of guessing a word, you need to guess a math equation. It’s perfect for those who enjoyed the logic of Wordle but prefer numbers over letters.

4. Globle

Here, you guess countries on a globe. After each guess, the game tells you how hot or cold your guess was based on the distance to the mystery country. It’s like a geography lesson in disguise.

5. Worldle

Similar to Globle, but instead of a globe, you see the silhouette of a country and must name it. The shapes can get surprisingly tricky after you move past the obvious ones.

6. Framed

This is a movie guessing game. You’re shown one frame from a film and have to figure out what it is. Each incorrect guess reveals another frame, which film buffs will appreciate.

7. Heardle

You hear the first second of a song and must name it. Each wrong guess plays a longer clip. It’s a fun way to see how well you really know the songs you claim to know.

8. Spelling Bee

This game is also from the New York Times, just like Wordle. You get seven letters arranged in a honeycomb and need to create as many words as possible, always including the center letter. There’s no timer, but aiming for “Genius” status can be humbling.

9. Connections

Another NYT game. You get 16 words and must sort them into four groups of four based on a hidden connection. The categories can be obvious or quite sneaky, with at least one that will stump you.

10. Mini Crossword

The NYT Mini is a 5×5 crossword puzzle that most people can complete in under five minutes. It’s a great warm-up, and your completion time is saved, allowing you to compete against yourself each day.

What This Means

The daily puzzle format thrives because it offers a clear, finite challenge with a defined endpoint. Unlike social media feeds and streaming services, which are designed for endless scrolling, you solve it, you’re done, and you can share your results. This loop is genuinely good for your brain, providing a low-stakes mental workout.

Most of these games are completely free and can be played in your phone’s browser without needing to download an app. A few, like Spelling Bee and Connections, require a subscription after a limited number of free plays, currently priced at $5 per month for the games bundle.

What Players Are Saying

“Connections is going to give me an aneurysm. I put ‘crane,’ ‘heron,’ ‘egret,’ and ‘stork’ together because they’re all birds, and they were in four different categories. Four. Different. Categories.”

— u/PuzzleRageDaily, r/NYTConnections

“Heardle ruined me. I was absolutely certain I knew every Fleetwood Mac song and then they played the first two seconds of ‘The Chain’ and I put down ‘Dreams.’ I am not okay.”

— YouTube comment on a Heardle highlight video, @MorningCoffeeGames

More Reading

• CNET’s full breakdown of puzzle games worth playing

What To Watch

• The NYT Games bundle keeps adding new puzzle formats. A new game called “Strands” has been in beta and could launch more widely by late 2026.
• Several indie developers are working on Wordle variants tied to pop culture events, so look out for themed puzzle releases around major film and TV events.
• If the NYT raises its games subscription price, expect a renewed interest in free alternatives like Quordle and Waffle that don’t require an account.