Wordle: from indie darling to the New York Times -- and now TV?

The addictive five-letter guessing game Wordle may soon be headed to your TV screen — NBC has ordered a pilot based on the New York Times hit. Originally invented as a pandemic gift by software engineer Josh Wardle for his partner, the game quietly launched in 2021 and then exploded into a global phenomenon -- and for some people, a daily ritual.  NBC developing Wordle game show hosted by Savannah Guthrie (Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, Oct 7, 2025) Boggle and Pictionary TV games coming to Netflix (Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, Oct 9, 2025) 'Incredible': from Wordle's Welsh beginnings to the New York Times (Steven Morris, The Guardian, Feb 1, 2022) How Wordle's Creator Feels About Selling His Viral Game (Karl Vick, Time, Feb 1, 2022) Winning Wordle in Two Tries (Real Statistics, accessed Oct 9, 2025) 'Bite-sized fun': The psychology behind your sudden Wordle obsession (Mikaela Cohen, CNBC, Feb 15, 2022) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast [email protected] *This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.