Today’s Wordle was, in all likelihood, a dismal fail for players who adopt UK English spelling.
Here’s why today’s Wordle sparked outrage
We won’t reveal the Wordle of the Day but, let’s just say, US English speakers would have found it pretty easy. However, the same can’t be said for players from South Africa, for example, where UK English is adopted.
The difference between UK and US English, and its relevance in language, has baffled scholars for eons. For regular folks, like us, it all seems like a big fuss, really.
Why on earth would there be two main distinctions between the spelling and pronunciation of words from the same language? Well, according to Oxford, it all stems from the interpretation of English which, by the way, borrows heavily from other languages.
UK English, on one hand, keeps the spelling of words absorbed from other languages, while US English, on the other, approaches spelling based on, for the most part, how the word sounds when it is spoken.
The first-ever British English dictionary was published by Samuel Johnson in 1755. The US English version surfaced in 1806, two centuries after British settlers discovered North America, and in it, variations of words like “colour” and “apologise” were adopted as “color” and “apologize”.
It’s really, more than anything, an unwritten policy the US took off with and, to this day, no effort has been made to correct the spelling.
Therefore, who exactly is to blame for Wednesday’s Wordle? Well, since the daily word game is owned by the New York Times (NYT), one could reasonably shrug this off as one of those ‘insider’ perks. However, the word game has, in a short space of time, morphed into a global phenomenon.
Perhaps, this will prompt Wordle developers to try, by all means, to adopt a universal approach to the game.
Here are some of the reactions we picked out from the outrage:
American English words on Wordle should be illegal … 😡
— Geoff Marshall (@geofftech) February 9, 2022
sad to report that it now seems inevitable that the UK is going to declare war on the USA because "that bloody American English is ruining Wordle" pic.twitter.com/ubYzr4AB5x
— Gpoptosis (@Gpoptosis) February 9, 2022
#Wordle235
— Jack Tiernan (@JackyT87) February 8, 2022
Not happy with the use of American English in todays word. So much so I sent an email so they can buck their ideas up. @powerlanguish pic.twitter.com/Clt2o7WFpu
Wordle stays triggering the Brits with American English words
— Ebuka Obi-Uchendu (@Ebuka) February 9, 2022