Club Benefits
My mornings always follow the same routine. I get dressed, make myself a nice cup of coffee, get on the bus to work, and catch up on the goings-on on my phone. That basically means that I do my daily barrage of word and letter games, which helps keep my brain sharp and wakes me up, ensuring that I'm ready for the day ahead.
The first game I always start with is Wordle, New York Times' web-based word game that's taken the world by storm. I, like many others, love playing it every day. Though I have been playing it since 2021, I currently have a 460-day streak, which speaks volumes about my love for it. My family and I always share our scores on our group chat, and when one of us gets it in either the first or second go, we all react with various celebratory emojis.
I also love playing Strands and Connections so yes, I'm a word game connoisseur. Recently, though, another has caught my eye. A month or so ago, my partner introduced me to a letter-swapping game called Waffle, a free web-based game which feels like the lovechild of Wordle and a crossword puzzle — and I am obsessed.
If you enjoy Wordle but need a change, or you just want a Wordle alternative that's actually good, I strongly believe you'll love Waffle as much as I do... and my partner does... and my family does. My point is: you should play it. Let me show you why.
How does it work?
Waffle is easy to get a hang of, and it doesn't take very long to do so either. You know how Wordle presents you with a blank canvas and you can use whatever five-letter combo you fancy? Waffle isn't like that. Instead, you get a crossword-style grid with six five-letter words arranged on a waffle-shaped grid. You must then drag and drop the letters to create an answer. But you must do so within 15 swaps — failure to do so results in all the letters becoming grayed out (and you getting a little heartbreak emoji when you share your score with friends and family).
Remember I said it's like a combination between Wordle and crossword? The letters are color-coded in green (for letters placed in the correct position) and yellow (for letters that can be placed elsewhere in the word), just like Wordle. Each puzzle can be solved in just 10 moves, earning you a perfect score. Sounds easy? Think again.
When I first started playing Waffle, I struggled to get the combinations right, and barely made it through with zero swaps remaining (which didn't get me any stars). I was then determined to try again the next day. Three swaps remaining, three stars for me. It went on like that for a few days until I finally got a perfect five out of five stars, and I was elated.
What I really love about Waffle is just how addicting it is. I've been playing it every day religiously for the past month or so, and I can't get enough of it. Every Monday, you also get a Deluxe Waffle, which is basically a much bigger grid with more swaps. It's something I now look forward to every week. Waffle also feels more high-stakes compared to Wordle — to me, Waffle requires more brainpower compared to Wordle.
Another thing I adore is that you get full access to the Waffle archive, so you can play all the past puzzles — and there are thousands of them! I've always disliked the fact that you need to get an NYT Games subscription if you want to play past Wordles. In an ideal world, we'd all have equal access, but sadly, that's not the case right now.
There are more games, too!
Similar to the NYT Games app which gives you access to Wordle, Strands, Connections, Pips and more, Waffle has a couple of extra games too — although they're all web-based and there's no collective app for them (yet). Stackdown and One Word Search are what I do right after I've done my daily Waffle, and they're just as fun if not more.
Stackdown is simple. Your goal is to clear the Stack of tiles by finding each of the five-letter words, and there is only ever one possible word to find before you move on to the next word. How does this work? Well, you tap on an exposed tile to gain access to the tile(s) under it, and you continue doing so until you've found all the words.
If you're stuck, you can get a hint but know that this impacts your final score and the stars you earn. So the fewer the hints you use, the more stars you get (maximum of five). And Stackdown will praise you for your score too, by saying things like, "Genius! Glorious. You have serious talent." It's very good for the ego.
Then there's One Word Search. Again, you have to find a five-letter word by swiping diagonally, horizontally or vertically. The words can be in reverse too, and there's a total of 10 words to find. One Word Search is perhaps the easiest game of the lot. As soon as you load it up, the timer starts. If you find all the words in a minute or less (something I'm yet to achieve), you're awarded five stars. Two minutes or less gets you four stars, and so on and so forth.
I'm still chasing that five-star score, and I will be a very happy camper when that day finally arrives. For now, I'm going to keep trying to ace Waffle, Stackdown and One Word Search. While I still enjoy Wordle, Strands and Connections, I'd be lying if I said a little part of me didn't prefer Waffle. I feel like the man in the "distracted boyfriend" meme, looking at Waffle while Wordle looks at me in disbelief.
Why don't you give Waffle a go and see if you feel the same way? And once you've played it, let me know what you think of it in the comments below! Happy Waffling.
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