Before you even check your emails, before your first sip of coffee, you open Wordle. Five letters. Six tries. A little rush when you get it right, a little frustration when you don’t. Either way, you’re coming back tomorrow. And you’re not alone.
It’s not just Wordle. Connections, Spelling Bee, The Mini—these games have become part of the modern morning routine, much like scrolling through headlines or doom-scrolling Twitter (now known as X). But this isn’t just about entertainment. These puzzles have created a massive shift in digital habits, and no one has capitalized on it better than The New York Times.
There’s a reason we keep coming back. Every time we solve a puzzle, our brains release dopamine, the same neurotransmitter that makes social media so addictive. But there’s another trick at play: the Zeigarnik Effect, a psychological phenomenon that poses that unfinished tasks linger in our minds longer than finished ones. Wordle’s one-puzzle-a-day format adheres to this perfectly, leaving just enough anticipation to make sure we return tomorrow.
Then there’s the social aspect. Wordle's emoji-coded results turned into a global phenomenon almost overnight. No spoilers, just bragging rights. Twitter (X), TikTok, and group chats became filled with those little green and yellow boxes, as if the entire world had suddenly started speaking in secret code. Connections followed the same formula—quick, shareable, competitive. Suddenly, casual gamers and puzzle veterans alike had a new way to interact daily.
At the height of Wordle mania, you couldn’t scroll through social media without seeing people flexing their scores, and even celebrities joined in. Jimmy Fallon posted his results, BTS’s RM tweeted about it, and even the Vatican’s official account shared a Wordle grid. No one was immune. By early 2022, Wordle had over 300,000 daily players, and within months of its NYT acquisition, that number soared past 2 million. And let’s not forget the FOMO factor: skipping a day feels like breaking a streak and like missing out on a shared experience. That tiny psychological trick keeps players hooked.
The New York Times saw what was happening and did what smart media companies do: they invested. When they bought Wordle for a “low seven-figure” sum, some questioned the decision. Why spend millions on a simple word game? But the NYT wasn’t just buying a game—they were buying attention, habit, and daily engagement.
Wordle may be free, but it’s a gateway into the NYT Games ecosystem. What started as a simple word game for casual players, morning commuters, and lapsed puzzlers became a clever strategy—hook users with Wordle, then keep them playing. Spelling Bee, Connections, The Mini Crossword—each game pulled players deeper, turning a quick distraction into routine. As of 2024, The New York Times reported that over 9 million people are subscribed to its Games section, a significant boost to its digital subscriptions. The company wasn’t just selling news; it was selling a daily habit.
NYT’s games aren’t just a side project—they’re a key part of its business strategy. At a time when traditional news subscriptions are harder to sell, puzzles offer a way to bring people in, keep them engaged, and eventually convert them into loyal NYT readers. Many Wordle players never cared about The New York Times before. Now, they open the app every single day. And once they’re there, it’s just a few taps away from a headline or an opinion piece. Even if they’re not actively reading the news, they’re still engaging with NYT as a brand. That kind of daily exposure is invaluable.
It raises a bigger question: is this the future of digital media? As traditional news models struggle, could more media companies start integrating games, quizzes, or interactive content to keep audiences hooked? With subscription fatigue on the rise—over 60% of consumers say they feel overwhelmed by the number of paid content services; companies need fresh strategies to retain engagement. It’s not hard to imagine a world where gamification becomes a core part of news consumption.
What started as a simple game has turned into a business empire—one that keeps millions of people engaged, entertained, and, in many cases, subscribed. The New York Times didn’t just buy Wordle. It bought habit. And in today’s media landscape, that might be more valuable than anything else.