Octordle is a word puzzle game created by Kenneth Crawford and officially released on February 15, 2022. It escalates the challenge of the popular Wordle format by requiring players to simultaneously guess eight unique five-letter words in a maximum of 13 total tries.
This setup transforms the game from a test of vocabulary into a high-stakes exercise in information management and deduction.
| Developer(s) | Kenneth Crawford |
| Genre | Puzzle / Word Game |
| Official Release | February 15, 2022 |
| Platforms | Web Browser (Desktop & Mobile) |
| Modes | Daily Octordle / Free Play |
| Similar Games | Wordle, Dordle, Quordle |
Gameplay and Rules
The objective is to clear all eight puzzle boards before running out of attempts. Like its predecessor, the game is available online via web browsers and offers two primary modes: the Daily Octordle (one shared puzzle every 24 hours) and Free Octordle (unlimited random puzzles).
Each guess you enter is applied to all eight boards at once, and each board provides its own color-coded feedback:
- Green 🟢: The letter is correct and is in the exact position for that board’s word.
- Yellow 🟡: The letter is correct, but is in the wrong position for that board’s word.
- Gray (or No Color) ⚪: The letter is not present in that board’s word at all.
This simultaneous feedback system is the game’s central mechanic. When you guess the word “ADIEU,” you might get a Green ‘A’ on board 1, a Yellow ‘D’ on board 3, and all Gray letters on board 8, giving you eight pieces of distinct information from a single move.
Multi-Board Strategy
To consistently solve all eight puzzles, the player must adopt a strategic approach focused on maximizing information in the early turns, rather than trying to solve any one board immediately.
1. Opening Four Guesses
The entire outcome of an Octordle round is determined by your first four guesses. The goal here is not to solve, but to eliminate and confirm as many letters as possible across the entire alphabet for all eight puzzles.
- Recommended Opener: Use four unique words that collectively contain 20 different common letters (A, E, I, O, U, R, S, T, L, N, D, G, H, C, M, P, F, W, Y, B). A highly effective strategy is to use the first two words to cover the vowels and common consonants (e.g., “CRANE” and “STOIC“) and the next two words to address the less common letters (e.g., “PLUMB” and “WIGHT“).
- Information Harvest: After these four words, you will have received color feedback on 80 tiles (10 letters x 8 boards). This should provide enough green and yellow tiles to start solving.
2. Prioritization and Cleanup
With only nine guesses remaining, you must prioritize your efforts to avoid running out of moves before solving all eight.
- Solve Green Boards First: Focus your next few guesses on the boards that have accumulated the most Green tiles. These boards require the fewest steps to complete and should be “banked” immediately to free up mental space.
- Address High-Yellow Boards: The next priority is any board that has many Yellow tiles. Use one dedicated guess on a high-yellow board to move the confirmed letters into new, likely positions, rapidly reducing the possibilities.
- Gray Consolidation: When guessing, always avoid using any letter that has been Gray on any of the eight boards. While tempting to use a gray letter to solve a different board, this is a waste of a guess slot, as you have already eliminated that letter from at least one solution.
By systematically harvesting information, solving the most stable boards first, and managing your remaining guesses based on the strongest feedback, you can reliably conquer the Octordle challenge within the 13-try limit.
