Wordle Clones may be all over the place, but there are still many innovative ways to use the formula. Heardle (opens in new window) might be my favorite. Heardle: A Music-Based Wordle Clone
The pitch reads ‘like Wordle, but for music.’ But that’s just half of the story. Instead of typing in the names of artists and songs, you can listen to brief intro clips and then try to guess the answer.
Six attempts are available. Each one increases the length of what you hear. You’ll listen to approximately 15 seconds of audio by the end of each of the six attempts. The first two will last only a few seconds each.
If you are completely stumped, you can skip guesses and listen to more of the song. The answer bar automatically completes so you can see potential songs and artists.
Although you’re not entirely in the dark, it’s not impossible. I spent six years as a music journalist and was probably more active on Spotify than most people. However, it took me until Saturday’s fifth guess to find the answer. It was Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. (Although I was aware of autocomplete, it would have been much easier for me to get it. That’s at least my story.
Yesterday’s was much more straightforward — Kanye West’s Black Skinhead intro is instantly recognizable. Today’s was difficult for me, probably because I’m not the intended audience for the artist, which is a mild understatement.
The music is streamed via Soundcloud. No need to peek into the code or look for answers like Wordle. It is randomly chosen from a list containing the past decade’s most popular songs.
This skews it towards pop music so you won’t find The Beatles among its answers. However, it does include older artists, and the fact that it is based on popular songs of today should increase its appeal beyond music geeks.
This clever twist refreshes an otherwise stale format. Even though the original game remains a must-play daily activity, even after it was purchased by the New York Times. However, Wordle Saturation Overload is a danger. This is when all the internet’s content will be absorbed by tiny yellow and green squares, making it impossible to communicate other than five-letter words.
The Wordle clones list now includes the two-puzzles Dordle, four-at–once Quordle, and eight-at–once Octordle, as well as the 16-at–once Sedordle (opens in a new tab). There are also spin-offs like the Star Wars-themed SWordle and the Worldle. There is a WWE version, one for LOTR, and one that features Taylor Swift, the Taylordle.
There are many Wordle games out there. Heardle is my favorite Wordle game in weeks. It’s fun, and it changes things up. It’s been added to our best Wordle alternative list. I recommend you include it in your daily routine.