Here are all the articles about English of and about word puzzles that have appeared in my newsletter English in Progress about world Englishes and English language change
March 2023
Wordle solution “arbor” has people wondering what it means
An arbor, or arbour in UK English, is another word for a pergola, a pretty arch-like thing for in the garden. Always tricky when UK/US spelling differences enter the game. It was the solution on 24 February.
Reading time: 2 minutes / womanandhome (USA/UK)
February 2023
Merriam-Webster has bought the word game Quordle
January 2023
Love Wordle? Here are some similar games
Mark Liberman has helpfully listed some Wordle alternatives, and has added a passive-aggressive remark about Word of the Year “-ussy” to boot.
The Guardian has attempted to invent the next Wordle-like word puzzle craze and has come up with Wordiply, which challenges you to make the longest possible word out of a three-letter one. The description of how they came up with it is funny and self-effacing.
December 2022
I loved this thoughtful piece on the history and future of the American Scrabble dictionary, and American dictionaries in general. Are American dictionaries dying out? (This article is also an interesting read if you (like me) are not particularly into Scrabble.
Heddwen Newton is an English teacher and translator. She is fascinated by contemporary English and the way English changes. Her newsletter is English in Progress. 1100 subscribers and growing every day!