Do You Need ABC Blocks to Play Offline Wordle?

Wordle is an online game that gained worldwide popularity a few months ago. As you scan your social media feeds, you might see stacks of yellow and green squares. These are Wordle scores.

But wait a minute. Squares with colored letters on them? Isn’t that what Uncle Goose ABC blocks are all about? And since Uncle Goose Classic ABC Blocks feature yellow and green capital letters: can you play Wordle with them?

If you try, you’ll quickly find out the real-world experience isn’t the same as the online version. For starters, the Uncle Goose Classic ABC block set contains 28 letters. A full Wordle board contains 30 letters. So that’s a stopper right there.

And what’s more, Wordle is a codebreaking game where players guess a secret five-letter word. In an online version, the computer holds this secret word. If you play with blocks all by yourself, there’s no one to keep the secret word. That spoils the entire game.

But what if you’re REALLY determined to play an offline, handcrafted version of Wordle? Yes, it can happen. And it's easier than you might think!

After all, back in the 1970’s, some of us played a codebreaking game called Mastermind. This game was like Wordle: except instead of guessing words, players guessed a color sequence.

So if you’re going to play an offline version of Wordle, you’re going to get your 1970's vibe on. Like Mastermind, an offline version of Wordle is a two-person game. Here’s how to play.

1. Set aside your Classic ABC Blocks for now. Instead, you’ll want to play offline Wordle with crayons and paper. And call a friend! 
2. You and your friend will take turns. One person is the secret keeper, and the other is the guesser.
3. The game begins with the secret keeper writing down a secret 5 letter word and hiding it on a piece of paper. The guesser writes down a guess on their own sheet of paper.
4. The secret keeper uses a green crayon to circle any correct letters that are in the correct position. They use a yellow crayon or pencil to mark any correct letters in the incorrect position. They leave incorrect letters alone.
5. The guesser has 6 tries to come up with the correct word. They keep writing new guesses under their old guesses, and the secret keeper marks each guess.
6. The secret keeper reveals the secret word when the guesser gets it right. If the guesser fails to guess after six tries, the secret keeper reveals the word.

As you can see, ABC blocks aren’t necessary for a rousing game of offline Wordle. All you need is imagination, paper, crayons, and a friend.

Wordle can be fun when you play it offline. You get to use fine motor skills to color and write with your hand. And you get to work on your social skills by playing with a friend!