Let's get the elephant out of the room immediately because it’s the source of about 90% of the confusion online. Quordle New York Times isn't actually a thing. At least, not in the way most people think it is. If you head over to the NYT Games app or site, you’ll find Wordle, Connections, Strands, and the ever-maddening Spelling Bee. You won't find Quordle.
It’s weird, right?
We’ve all become so accustomed to the New York Times being the "home" of word games that our brains just sort of auto-fill the gap. Since they bought Wordle from Josh Wardle back in early 2022 for a "low seven-figure" sum, the association has become permanent. But Quordle—that beastly four-grids-at-once variant—actually lives over at Merriam-Webster.
Why the Confusion Persists
Honestly, it makes sense why you'd search for it this way. The NYT basically owns the intellectual space for daily brain teasers now. When Wordle went viral, a dozen clones popped up overnight. Most died. Quordle didn't. It thrived because it appealed to the people who found Wordle too easy. You know the type. The people who solve the daily puzzle in three tries and then feel a bit empty inside for the rest of the morning.
Quordle was created by Freddie Meyer in early 2022, inspired by Dordle (the two-word version). It eventually got acquired by Merriam-Webster. This was a brilliant move by the dictionary folks to stay relevant in the digital gaming space, much like the Times did. So, while you might be looking for a Quordle New York Times crossover, you're actually looking for a battle between two different titans of the English language.
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The Mechanical Difference
Wordle is a sprint. Quordle is a marathon where you’re juggling chainsaws.
In Wordle, you have six guesses for one word. In Quordle, you have nine guesses to find four words. Every guess you type applies to all four grids simultaneously. It’s chaotic. It’s stressful. It’s also incredibly satisfying when you hit a "green" streak across three different boards at once.
Mastering the Four-Grid Logic
To survive Quordle—since you aren't getting the NYT's gentle curation here—you have to change how you think. In the New York Times Wordle, you can afford a "burner" word sometimes to narrow down vowels. In Quordle, a burner word isn't just a luxury; it’s a requirement.
Most high-level players don't even look at the boards for the first two guesses. They use "seed" words. These are words specifically designed to eliminate as many common letters as possible.
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Think about it.
$4 \text{ words} \times 5 \text{ letters} = 20 \text{ total slots}$.
You only have nine tries. If you try to solve one word at a time, you will lose. Period. You have to play the field.
The "Stare" Strategy
Ever noticed how you'll have three boards almost solved, but the fourth one is just... blank? That’s the Quordle trap. Experts suggest focusing on the board with the most information first, but only if it doesn't cost you precious letters needed elsewhere.
- Start with a vowel-heavy opener like ADIEU or AUDIO.
- Follow up with a consonant-rich word like STERN or CLAMP.
- By guess three, look at all four boards. Identify which word is the most "constrained." If you see
_IGHT, stop. That’s a trap (Might, Night, Fight, Right, Light). Don't guess it yet. Solve the other words to eliminate those starting consonants.
Why Merriam-Webster Kept It (And NYT Didn't)
There’s a reason the New York Times hasn't tried to buy Quordle or create a direct competitor. The NYT "vibe" is about accessibility. They want a game you can play while waiting for the subway or sipping coffee. Wordle fits that perfectly. It’s elegant.
Quordle is "crunchy." It’s a power-user game. Merriam-Webster, being the definitive source for American English, fits the "educational/intense" niche a bit better. They’ve even added variants like Sequence (where you solve one at a time but the next is hidden) and Daily Rescue.
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It’s worth noting that the NYT did launch "Strands" recently, which is their answer to the need for more complex daily puzzles. But even Strands feels more like a crossword-word search hybrid than the logic-heavy math problem that is Quordle.
Practical Steps to Level Up Your Game
Stop looking for Quordle on the NYT site; save the Merriam-Webster page to your home screen instead. It’ll save you three clicks.
Refine your openers. If you’re still using "CRANE" because that’s what the Wordle Bot told you to do, you’re playing the wrong game. In Quordle, you need more coverage. Try "NOTES" followed by "ACRID." This covers the most common letters in the English language and gives you a massive head start on all four grids.
Watch the "Kill" order. If you have eight guesses left and one word is 80% done, leave it. Seriously. Use your next two guesses to find letters for the other three "dark" boards. The biggest mistake beginners make is finishing a word early and then realizing they have no guesses left to find the "X" or "Z" in the final quadrant.
Check the dictionary. Since it’s hosted by Merriam-Webster, use the "Practice" mode. It sounds boring, but the vocabulary in Quordle is often slightly more obscure than the NYT Wordle list. The Times famously curated their list to remove "slur" or "too difficult" words. Quordle is a bit more wild-west with its dictionary.
Don't ignore the stats. Track your "failure" rate. If you're consistently losing on the 4th word, it means your opening strategy is too narrow. You aren't gathering enough data in the first three turns. Broaden your search, even if it feels like you're wasting a turn. In the long run, information is more valuable than a lucky guess.