Games like Wordle: 14 daily puzzles to play next
Finished today’s Wordle and want more? These daily games share what makes it great: one puzzle a day, the same for everyone, and a result you can share.
Wordle’s magic was never just the word puzzle. It was the ritual: one puzzle a day, the same for everyone, over in a few minutes, with a little grid you could share. Plenty of games have borrowed that formula. Here are the best ones to play next, grouped by what kind of thinking they need.
A note on honesty: Daily Recall is our site, so we’ve listed our own games in their own section at the end, clearly marked. Everything else is made by other people. Daily games come and go, so if one has changed since we wrote this, let us know.
Word games
1. Connections (New York Times)
Sixteen words, four hidden groups of four. Some words fit more than one group, which is the whole trick. The most popular Wordle follow-up for good reason.
2. Strands (New York Times)
A letter grid with a hidden theme. Find the themed words, plus a “spangram” that spells out the theme and stretches across the board.
3. Spelling Bee (New York Times)
Make as many words as you can from seven letters, always using the center one. Great for a slower, longer puzzle; the full game needs a subscription.
4. Quordle (Merriam-Webster)
Four Wordles at once, with nine guesses shared between them. Every guess counts four times.
5. Waffle
All the letters are already on the grid, just in the wrong places. Swap them into six words using as few moves as possible.
6. Contexto
Guess a secret word, and you’re told how close in meaning each guess is, not in spelling. It feels like playing hot and cold with a dictionary.
Numbers, places and movies
7. Nerdle
Wordle for math: guess a hidden equation. Satisfying if you like numbers more than letters.
8. Worldle
Guess the country from its outline. After each guess you’re told the distance and direction to the answer.
9. Globle
Guess a mystery country on a 3D globe. Countries turn warmer colors as you get closer.
10. Framed
Guess the movie from a single frame. Each wrong guess reveals another frame.
Memory games (ours)
If you like the daily ritual but want to test something other than vocabulary, Daily Recall has five daily memory games, all free, with no sign-up:
11. Hue
Study a scene for eight seconds, then rebuild its five colors from memory. You get a score out of 100 and a picture of your version next to the real one, which makes for a very shareable result.
Play today’s HueHue · free · no sign-up12. Signal
Watch four pads play a pattern of notes, then play it back on the beat. Like the classic electronic memory game, with rhythm scoring.
13. Recall
Tiles light up on a grid and go dark. Tap the ones you saw. A quick test of visual memory.
14. Sequence and Words
Two classic memory tests as daily games: repeat a growing string of digits, and spot which words you’ve already seen.
How to build your daily puzzle routine
Pick three: one word game, one “something different” game and one memory game. Play them at the same time each day, and share results in a group chat. The shared ritual is what keeps people coming back, and it’s more fun than playing alone. For a group leaderboard with friends, try Daily Recall groups.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best game like Wordle?
Connections is the most popular next step for word lovers. If you want something different, try a geography game like Worldle, a math game like Nerdle, or a memory game like Hue on Daily Recall.
Are games like Wordle free?
Most are free to play in your browser. Some New York Times games, like Spelling Bee, are only partly free without a subscription.
Are there daily games that aren’t word games?
Yes: geography (Worldle, Globle), math (Nerdle), movies (Framed) and memory games like the five on Daily Recall.