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Wordle®* is one of the most iconic word games in recent history.

Its runaway success in 2022 sparked a wave of interest in daily logic word puzzles and expanded many players’ game routines.

But once you’ve guessed a five-letter word hundreds of times, you may crave a fresh kind of challenge—something that keeps the daily ritual but changes the logic.

That’s where Crosswordle comes in.

Why compare Wordle and Crosswordle?

The word game market is vast and continuously growing. However, while all these games deal with letters and similar elements, a large number of them don't fall exactly into the same categories. For example, Connections is a word game, but its essence as a game is different from Wordle and Crosswordle, as it works with a different kind of logic system. If you're interested in learning how Connections compares to Crosswordle, you can see more of that here.

Although Wordle and Crosswordle follow different rule sets, they share a few surface traits—daily reset, color feedback, and shareable results—so fans often wonder which offers the deeper workout.

Wordle vs Crosswordle — Shared Criteria

Criteria	Wordle	Crosswordle
Daily reset	✅Yes	✅Yes
Colour-based feedback	✅Yes	✅Yes
Word-forming mechanic	✅Yes	✅Yes
Accessible on web & mobile	✅Yes	✅Yes
Quick mental workout	✅Yes	✅Yes
Shareable results	✅Yes	✅Yes
Minimalist design	✅Yes	✅Yes

What is Wordle?

A hit that was released during the tail-end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a simple yet addictive daily word puzzle game where you have six chances to guess a hidden five-letter word. Using its iconic color-feedback system, you can make deductions on what the word is according to the color of your inputs:

🟩 Green: Correct letter input.

🟨 Yellow: Correct letter input, wrong position.

⬜️ Gray: Incorrect letter input, not in target word.

The difficulty of Wordle lies in the five-letter word you're guessing. Sometimes it's common, sometimes obscure, sometimes it's thematic (which reflects the current seasons, trends, holidays, etc.), but you can always expect a five-letter target word. Acquired by The New York Times, it is currently the most played game in their catalogue.

What is Crosswordle?

Crosswordle uses a 7×7 crossword-style grid and colour-coded tiles to create a fast, logic-first puzzle. Swap letters until every row and column spells a word; aim for six swaps left to earn a perfect score. Green tiles are fixed, yellow tiles belong in the row or column but need repositioning, and grey tiles must move elsewhere.

🟩 Green: The letter is in the correct location, right word and can't be swapped.

🟨 Yellow: The letter is in the correct row or column, but not in the correct position or order.

⬜️ Gray: The letter is in the wrong location and needs to be swapped.

Crosswordle's difficulty is in the whole puzzle itself; the selected words, the number of the target words, the color-feedback system and the swap count.

Quick overview: Wordle vs Crosswordle

To give you a brief way of comparing these two games, here's a useful table for reference:

Wordle vs Crosswordle — Key Differences

Feature	Wordle	Crosswordle
System	Word guess	Letter-swap logic
Input	Type word	Swap tiles
Free-to-play	⚠️Limited	✅Yes
Daily reset	✅Yes	✅Yes
Unlimited play	❌No	✅Yes
Stat tracking	✅Yes	✅Yes
Skill focus	Vocab + patterns	Logic + vocab
Difficulty	✅Consistent	✅Moderate
Lose condition	6 wrong guesses	No swaps left
Avg. playtime	2–4 min	3–6 min

5 reasons why playing Crosswordle is harder

With the help of the comparison above, here's why Crosswordle is the harder puzzle between the two:

1. More games to play with. Crosswordle isn't limited to just two words or four words. Its 7×7 grid has more targets than Wordle's single five-letter word.
2. Crossword aspect. Each guess affects a different word target because of the intersecting rows and columns.
3. A better logic system. Not only do the letter inputs affect each word, but they also become more challenging with the added color-feedback system.
4. Vocabulary range. Crosswordle's target words span between three- to seven-letter words, against Wordle's fixed five-letter answer.
5. A more challenging perfect run. For the expert-level solvers, hitting the perfect score of six stars for new puzzles every time is more difficult than winning Wordle in two or three guesses.

2 ways Wordle still holds an edge

While Crosswordle is objectively the harder of the two, Wordle still has its own pros to consider:

1. Six-attempt limit. This limited number of guesses forces sharper elimination; no safety net.
2. Consistent five-word system. Wordle's consistent target can be exploited using a single starting word strategy (e.g., “ADIEU” or "OUIJA"); Crosswordle demands clue‑specific openings.

Which game should you play?

Both games are incredibly fun and approachable, and they're usually best played in a chain during your daily game routine (like starting with Wordle, then going with Crosswordle, then switching it up a bit with Sumplete, etc.).

However, if you're looking for something more specific for your needs, there are some scenarios where either game would be a good fit for you.

Play Crosswordle if:

• You're looking for something familiar yet challenging
• Need more engaging gameplay
• Feeling unsure of your current vocabulary but still want a word game

Play Wordle if:

• You're looking for the iconic experience
• Need to scratch that word-guessing itch
• Feeling confident of your current vocabulary and want that dopamine rush of getting it in a few guesses

Tips & tricks for Wordlers moving to Crosswordle

Are you a Wordler looking to cross over to Hey, Good Game's puzzle? Nice choice! Since you already know color-feedback puzzles, Crosswordle will feel natural for you. However, just in case you need a few pointers, here's some advice to keep in mind:

• Start with the longest clue.
• Use gray letters to prune across and down.
• Practice in Unlimited Mode before the Daily.
• Don't get tunnel vision of just looking to swap the next letter.

FAQ

Is Crosswordle a part of the NYT's games?

Not at all. Crosswordle is independent and not a part of the NYT's game catalogue. Wordle is a registered trademark of The New York Times and is not affiliated with Crosswordle in any way.

Does Crosswordle have an archive of past daily puzzles?

Not at the moment, but we're working on it, so stay tuned!

Is there an easier mode of Crosswordle?

The current 7x7 grid can be solved in three to six minutes by most players, and we like to keep that consistent level of moderate difficulty. If you're looking for something to play that has less pressure but is still engaging, we recommend Squeezy.

I'm color blind, can I play Crosswordle?

Definitely yes! We offer a toggleable color blind mode for those who have the condition, you just need to register for an account here.

Are there clickable hints or similar features in Crosswordle?

The color-feedback system IS the hints. Implementing a clickable hint system might take away the whole challenge of the puzzle.

Looking for more challenge after each guess?

We hope that our article helped you understand why Crosswordle may be the ideal word game to play. If you're looking for more games to play, check out Hey, Good Game today and share our awesome games with your friends and family! We also have a Discord server if you're looking to hang out with fellow word game and puzzle enthusiasts.

Curious to know if Crosswordle can measure up to other NYT games? Check out our comparison article of Connections vs. Crosswordle!

Interested in getting started? Play today's Crosswordle!

*Wordle is a registered trademark of the New York Times and is not affiliated with Crosswordle in any way.