July Made Wordle's Greatest Challenge Yet, Potentially Becoming More Difficult - Here's the Reason Behind
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In the world of Wordle, July 2025 has gone down as the most challenging month yet. The average score for the daily puzzles during this period was a steep 4.22, marking a significant increase compared to the game's easiest month, which averaged 3.97.
The New York Times (NYT), the current publisher of Wordle, has been introducing more complex words to keep the game engaging. In July, the NYT added words like TIZZY, POPPY, FOIST, SAVVY, BALER, EXILE, NERVY, FRILL, JUMPY, and GOFER, many of which were difficult with scores ranging from 4.4 to 5.6.
The addition of GUANO in March 2023 marked the start of a new era for Wordle, as the NYT began adding extra solutions to the game. Since then, they have added 17 more words, including UVULA, SNAFU, PRIMP, and MOMMY.
The most challenging games of July 2025 were JUMPY and GOFER, with scores of 5.2 and 5.6, respectively. The existence of letters such as J, G, and F, and common letter patterns such as ER ending, made these words particularly difficult to solve.
The increased difficulty in July can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, the inclusion of five "non-original" answers, words not part of the original 2,315-word list created by Wordle’s founder Josh Wardle, introduced less common or more challenging words, increasing the difficulty and guess counts.
Secondly, the puzzles offered no discernible pattern in word choice, making it difficult for players to predict the daily word. While clues occasionally provided helpful hints, many players found themselves overthinking or being misled, which further exacerbated the difficulty.
Lastly, analysis of Wordle letter frequency and guess patterns shows that common letters like E and A often appear multiple times in difficult words. July’s puzzles may have included words with less frequent or more complex letter patterns, making initial guesses less effective and increasing the number of required attempts.
Despite the increased difficulty, it is worth noting that only 21 games in Wordle's history have passed the 5.0 mark, with JUMPY and GOFER being two of them. The tool called WordleBot, though not detailed in this article, is also believed to have played a role in solving these complex puzzles.
As we move forward, it is suggested that the increasing difficulty could continue as more "non-original" or rare words are introduced over time, possibly affecting future months as well. However, August initially showed a trend of slightly easier games, although it remains to be seen if things will get tougher again soon.
Interestingly, I have played every Wordle so far and have only lost once. Despite the challenges, the game continues to captivate players worldwide, with its unique blend of simplicity and complexity keeping us guessing.
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In the midst of the augmented challenge in Wordle, technology enthusiasts might find appeal in gadgets designed for optimized computing, helping them strategize and surmount the complex words introduced in July 2025, such as JUMPY and GOFER. The increased difficulty has sparked the development of innovative tools like WordleBot, further demonstrating the evolution of computing technology in response to popular games.
As the NYT maintains the trend of introducing intricate gadgets and words to keep players engaged, the synergy between computing, technology, and Wordle is set to persist in the foreseeable future, inviting an ever-expanding market for specialized gadgets that cater to the gaming needs of enthusiasts.
