Parseword: Is Wordle creator’s new game too much of a ‘chin-scratcher’ to go viral?

Josh Wardle hopes his digital take on the cryptic crossword can be a gradual on-ramp crossing the cultural divide between Britain and the US

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n 2021, Josh Wardle became a household name almost overnight. His digital game, Wordle, turned a simple guessing game into a global morning ritual: six guesses, one word, and a grid of coloured squares shared across social media feeds.

It became a cultural phenomenon; bought within months by the New York Times for a seven-figure sum.

Four years on, Wardle is back. His new game, Parseword, is a digital take on the cryptic crossword; a format built on synonyms, reversals, homophones, letter deletions and hidden fragments that has long been beloved by a dedicated minority – and baffling to almost everyone else.