Do you love to Wordle, but hate that you can only play once a day?
Thankfully, the simple online word game that’s taken the world by storm has inspired dozens of other similar word games.
The best part? Games like Wordle are a great stimulation activity that protect brain function and help prevent dementia and cognitive decline.
“These types of activities are protective of cognitive function, and the more different kinds of activities you do, and the more difficult they are, the better off you are,” says Amy Sanders, MD, MS, FAAN, neurologist and medical director of the Hartford Healthcare Memory Care Center.
According to Sanders, doing a daily crossword, Sudoku, jigsaw puzzle or Wordle “is like taking a cognitive vitamin every day. It’s just what the doctor ordered.”
Another added benefit comes from the all-too-familiar satisfaction of guessing the correct answer.
“When you get it right, there’s a little burst of, ‘Oh goody!’ That little burst of satisfaction, that’s probably dopamine, which is our ‘happy’ neurotransmitter,” says Sanders. “It’s a nice countermeasure to stress.”
Here are five Wordle alternatives that might peak your interest:
1. Dordle
Is a single five-letter word to easy for you? Try Dordle, where you need to guess two words in only seven tries. When that’s too easy, try Quordle.
2. Reversle
This game is exactly like it sounds – Wordle in reverse. The final five-letter answer is given to you, and your job is to fill in the missing guesses based on the colors shown.
3. Weaver
Weave your way from the starting word to the end word, changing only one letter at a time.
4. Factle
A trivia game inspired by Wordle, which gives players five chances to rank their top five guesses after seeing an initial clue.
5. Heardle
Use six guesses to determine a popular song, which you get to hear a little more of after each attempt. Movie lovers should give Moviedle a try.
