Despite its humble origins the game quickly became a hit after being released to the public in October 2021, and in January 2022 was purchased by the New York Times for an undisclosed seven-figure sum.
Wordle is simple to play, making it accessible even to those with no experience with word puzzles. Each day the player has to work out a new five letter word, in six attempts or less.
After each attempt the letters change color, letting you know how accurate you were. If a letter goes green it is both in the word and in the position you put it. Yellow means the letter features, but not where you placed it, whilst gray tells you it does not feature at all.
Speaking to Newsweek Erhan Aslan, an associate professor of applied linguistics at the University of Reading in the U.K., argued social media was key to the rapid growth in Wordle’s popularity.
He said: “In today’s digital age, like many other things, many simple games like Wordle can be played online. I think that Wordle gains its popularity not only from its simple rules but also from its virality on social media platforms as a result of people sharing/posting their scores to demonstrate a sense of accomplishment and validation.”
The answer to today’s puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself. To help you solve today’s Wordle, Newsweek has provided some tips.
‘Wordle’ #574 Tips and Clues for Saturday, January 14
Wordle players can use these five hints to solve puzzle #574.
Hint #1: There are three vowels in today’s answer. Yes three!
Hint #2: The third and fifth letters are the same.
Hint #3: Today’s answer is an animal.
Hint #4: It is often associated with Australia.
Hint #5: The second letter is a vowel.
‘Wordle’ #574 Answer for Saturday, January 14
The answer to today’s Wordle is “Koala.”
Containing no less than three vowels this certainly was not the toughest Wordle we’ve yet faced, but it was still a good puzzle.
Did you figure it out? If so, congratulations. But please don’t worry if not, one of our favorite things about Wordle is seeing if we can improve our score over time. Either way, we hope to see you again tomorrow for another round of Newsweek tips and hints.
What Does ‘Koala’ Mean?
The Cambridge University dictionary defines “koala” as “an Australian mammal with greyish fur, koalas live in eucalyptus trees and eat their leaves.”
For example: “Dad I really hope when we get to the zoo there’s a koala we can see.”
The next Wordle puzzle will be available at 7 p.m. ET, when the daily update occurs.
