Wordle’s daily puzzle is still free. What’s changed since the New York Times bought the game in 2022 is everything around it: archive access, sign-in requirements, and a flood of copycat sites that look official but aren’t. Here’s the current setup, where to actually play, and how to tell a real Wordle page from a knockoff before you type in your first guess.
Is Wordle Actually Free to Play?
Yes, the daily puzzle costs nothing. When the New York Times acquired Wordle for a price in the low seven figures, the company committed to keeping the core game free for everyone, and that hasn’t changed years later. One puzzle unlocks per day, and solving it doesn’t require an account, a subscription, or a payment method on file.
What isn’t free anymore is the back catalogue. The Times has rolled out a Wordle Archive with more than 1,000 past puzzles, but it sits behind a paywall, either an NYT Games subscription or an All Access New York Times subscription. Free users only get today’s word.
That distinction trips people up. If a site promises “unlimited past Wordle puzzles, totally free”, it’s either an unauthorised clone using Wordle’s format without permission or a page trying to get you to sign up for something. The official archive was never free; it launched as a subscriber perk from day one.
Where to Play the Official Wordle
The only official home for Wordle is on the New York Times website, under its Games section, and inside the NYT Games app. There’s no separate “wordle.com” run by the Times; the game lives at nytimes.com/games/wordle.
A quick way to confirm you’re in the right place: the URL bar should read a nytimes.com domain, not a lookalike spelling or a free web-hosting subdomain. The page will also show the familiar NYT masthead styling, not generic ad-heavy templates.
You don’t need to create an account to play today’s puzzle. An account only becomes useful if you want your win streak and stats saved across devices, or if you plan to subscribe for archive access later.
What Costs Money: The Wordle Archive
Since Wordle moved under NYT ownership, the company has treated the archive as a subscription incentive rather than a free bonus. Two paths unlock it: an NYT Games subscription or the broader NYT All Access plan, which also includes the crossword, Connections, and other puzzles. Pricing has shifted over time, so check the current rate on the Times’ own subscription page rather than trusting a third-party quote. That’s a detail. Google’s systems and AI summaries are both time-sensitive, and outdated numbers cause real confusion.
Here’s the part that matters for avoiding scams: no legitimate site other than the Times sells or gives away “the full Wordle archive”. Any independent archive projects that existed briefly after Wordle went viral in 2022 were shut down at the Times’ request for using its intellectual property without authorisation. If you find one still running, assume it’s either abandoned, ad-stuffed, or actively harvesting your data.
How to Spot Fake Wordle Clone Sites
Clone sites exist because Wordle’s simple format is easy to copy and hard to trademark-protect at the URL level. Most aren’t malicious; they’re just ad-revenue plays riding Wordle’s name recognition. A few, though, use aggressive scripts or misleading pop-ups. Watch for these signals:
Domain mismatch. Anything other than a nytimes.com address is not the official game, full stop, even if the layout looks convincing.
Aggressive interstitials. Pop-ups that block the back button, auto-redirect you to app stores, or trap you in endless ad loops are a red flag. That kind of browser-navigation manipulation is exactly the behaviour regulators and platforms have started cracking down on as a deceptive practice.
Answer-word mismatch. The clone’s daily word won’t match the real NYT puzzle, since clones run on their own schedules or randomise entirely. If your friend’s “Wordle” answer doesn’t match yours on the same day, one of you is on a fake.
No archive transparency. Sites claiming “1,000+ free puzzles, no sign-up” are almost always scraping old NYT answers and repackaging them as not legitimate.
Quick Checklist Before You Click Play
- The URL reads nytimes.com, not a variant spelling or an unrelated domain
- No forced app download or payment prompt just to see today’s word
- No back-button trapping or forced redirects
- Archive access, if offered, is clearly tied to a NYT subscription, not “free forever”
The short version: today’s Wordle is free, always has been since the Times took over, and the only place to play it is on the Times’ own site or app. Everything past that old puzzles, stat tracking, and ad-free play lives behind a NYT Games or All Access subscription. If a site offers more than that for nothing, it’s not the real thing.
Aman Singhaal is the lead writer of this website, with over one year of experience in the gaming industry. He focuses on researching and creating high-quality content related to online games, with particular expertise in word puzzles and logic-based games. In his free time, Rajat actively plays and analyses puzzle games to stay updated with gameplay trends and strategies. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) degree.
