Create Your Own Wordle: A Step-by-Step Guide
Wordle, the simple yet addictive word game, has taken the internet by storm. Its clean interface, daily challenge, and shareable results have captivated millions. Have you ever wondered how to create your own version of Wordle, perhaps with custom word lists, different languages, or unique rules? This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of building your own Wordle game, from the fundamental concepts to the code implementation. We’ll cover everything you need to know, even if you’re not a seasoned programmer.
## Understanding the Core Mechanics of Wordle
Before diving into code, it’s crucial to understand the core mechanics of Wordle. The game’s elegance lies in its simplicity. Here’s a breakdown of the key components:
* **The Target Word:** A five-letter word that the player must guess.
* **Guesses:** The player has a limited number of attempts (typically six) to guess the target word.
* **Feedback:** After each guess, the player receives feedback in the form of colored tiles, indicating the accuracy of their guess:
* **Green:** The letter is in the correct position.
* **Yellow:** The letter is in the word but in the wrong position.
* **Gray:** The letter is not in the word.
* **Restrictions:** Guesses must be valid five-letter words.
* **Daily Challenge:** A new target word is selected each day.
## Choosing Your Tools and Technologies
Several technologies can be used to create a Wordle game. We’ll focus on a relatively simple approach using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making it accessible to beginners.
* **HTML (HyperText Markup Language):** Provides the structure of the game, defining elements like the game board, input fields, and feedback displays.
* **CSS (Cascading Style Sheets):** Handles the visual presentation of the game, controlling the layout, colors, fonts, and overall aesthetics.
* **JavaScript:** Adds the interactive logic to the game, handling user input, validating guesses, providing feedback, and determining the game’s outcome.
While more advanced frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js could be used, sticking with the fundamentals allows for a clearer understanding of the underlying principles.
## Step-by-Step Implementation
Let’s break down the implementation into manageable steps.
### 1. Setting up the HTML Structure (index.html)
The HTML file will define the basic structure of our Wordle game. Here’s a sample `index.html` file:
html
My Wordle
* **``:** Declares the document type as HTML5.
* **``:** The root element of the HTML page, specifying the language as English.
* **`
* **``:** Specifies the character encoding for the document.
* **``:** Configures the viewport for responsive design.
* **`
* **``:** Links to an external stylesheet (style.css) for styling.
* **``:** Contains the visible page content.
* **`
My Wordle
`:** A heading for the game.
* **`
`:** A container where the game board will be dynamically created using JavaScript.
* **``:** An input field for the player to enter their guess, limited to 5 characters.
* **``:** A button to submit the guess.
* **`
`:** A paragraph element to display messages to the player, such as feedback or game status.
* **``:** Links to an external JavaScript file (script.js) for game logic.
This basic HTML structure provides the foundation for our Wordle game. The `game-board` div will hold the grid of letter tiles, the `guess-input` allows the player to enter their guesses, the `submit-button` triggers the guess validation, and the `message` paragraph displays feedback to the player. The `script.js` file will contain the JavaScript code to handle the game logic.
### 2. Styling the Game with CSS (style.css)
CSS will be used to style the game elements. Here’s a sample `style.css` file:
css
body {
font-family: sans-serif;
text-align: center;
}
#game-board {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(5, 1fr);
grid-gap: 5px;
margin: 20px auto;
width: 300px;
}
.tile {
width: 50px;
height: 50px;
border: 1px solid #ccc;
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
font-size: 2em;
text-transform: uppercase;
}
.correct {
background-color: green;
color: white;
}
.present {
background-color: yellow;
color: black;
}
.absent {
background-color: gray;
color: white;
}
#guess-input {
margin-bottom: 10px;
padding: 5px;
font-size: 1.2em;
}
#submit-button {
padding: 5px 10px;
font-size: 1.2em;
cursor: pointer;
}
#message {
margin-top: 10px;
font-size: 1.2em;
}
* **`body`:** Sets the default font family and centers the text on the page.
* **`#game-board`:**
* `display: grid;`: Uses CSS Grid to arrange the letter tiles in a grid.
* `grid-template-columns: repeat(5, 1fr);`: Creates 5 columns of equal width.
* `grid-gap: 5px;`: Adds a 5-pixel gap between the grid cells.
* `margin: 20px auto;`: Adds margin around the grid and centers it horizontally.
* `width: 300px;`: Sets the width of the grid.
* **`.tile`:**
* `width: 50px; height: 50px;`: Sets the width and height of each letter tile.
* `border: 1px solid #ccc;`: Adds a border to the tile.
* `display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center;`: Centers the letter within the tile.
* `font-size: 2em;`: Sets the font size of the letter.
* `text-transform: uppercase;`: Converts the letter to uppercase.
* **`.correct`:** Styles the tile when the letter is in the correct position (green background).
* **`.present`:** Styles the tile when the letter is in the word but in the wrong position (yellow background).
* **`.absent`:** Styles the tile when the letter is not in the word (gray background).
* **`#guess-input`:** Styles the input field for the player’s guess.
* **`#submit-button`:** Styles the submit button.
* **`#message`:** Styles the message display area.
This CSS provides the visual appearance of the Wordle game, defining the layout of the game board, the styling of the letter tiles, and the appearance of the input field and button. The `.correct`, `.present`, and `.absent` classes are used to provide feedback to the player based on their guesses.
### 3. Implementing the Game Logic with JavaScript (script.js)
This is where the core game logic resides. Here’s a JavaScript implementation:
javascript
const targetWord = “apple”; // The word to guess
const allowedGuesses = 6;
let guessesRemaining = allowedGuesses;
let currentGuess = [];
const gameBoard = document.getElementById(“game-board”);
const guessInput = document.getElementById(“guess-input”);
const submitButton = document.getElementById(“submit-button”);
const messageDisplay = document.getElementById(“message”);
// Function to initialize the game board
function initializeBoard() {
for (let i = 0; i < allowedGuesses; i++) {
const row = document.createElement("div");
row.classList.add("row");
for (let j = 0; j < 5; j++) {
const tile = document.createElement("div");
tile.classList.add("tile");
row.appendChild(tile);
}
gameBoard.appendChild(row);
}
} // Function to check if a word is valid (in the dictionary)
function isValidWord(word) {
// This is a placeholder - replace with a real dictionary lookup
const validWords = ["apple", "grape", "melon", "peach", "mango", "words", "other", "valid", "items", "tests"];
return validWords.includes(word);
} // Function to update the game board with feedback
function updateBoard(guess) {
const row = gameBoard.children[allowedGuesses - guessesRemaining];
for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
const tile = row.children[i];
tile.textContent = guess[i].toUpperCase(); if (guess[i] === targetWord[i]) {
tile.classList.add("correct");
} else if (targetWord.includes(guess[i])) {
tile.classList.add("present");
} else {
tile.classList.add("absent");
}
}
} // Function to handle the submission of a guess
function handleSubmitGuess() {
const guess = guessInput.value.toLowerCase(); if (guess.length !== 5) {
showMessage("Please enter a 5-letter word.");
return;
} if (!isValidWord(guess)) {
showMessage("Not a valid word.");
return;
} updateBoard(guess);
guessesRemaining--;
guessInput.value = ""; if (guess === targetWord) {
showMessage("You win!");
endGame();
return;
} if (guessesRemaining === 0) {
showMessage(`You lose! The word was ${targetWord}.`);n endGame();
return;
}
} // Function to display a message to the player
function showMessage(message) {
messageDisplay.textContent = message;
} // Function to end the game (disable input and button)
function endGame() {
guessInput.disabled = true;
submitButton.disabled = true;
} // Event listener for the submit button
submitButton.addEventListener("click", handleSubmitGuess); // Initialize the game board
initializeBoard(); Explanation of the JavaScript code: * **Variables:**
* `targetWord`: Stores the word to be guessed (currently set to "apple"). **Important:** You should replace this with a method to select a random word from a word list.
* `allowedGuesses`: The maximum number of guesses allowed (6).
* `guessesRemaining`: Tracks the number of guesses the player has left.
* `currentGuess`: An array to store the letters of the player's current guess.
* `gameBoard`, `guessInput`, `submitButton`, `messageDisplay`: References to the corresponding HTML elements using their IDs. * **`initializeBoard()` Function:**
* Creates the game board dynamically in the HTML. It creates `allowedGuesses` number of rows and each row contains 5 tiles.
* Each tile is a `div` element with the class "tile". * **`isValidWord(word)` Function:**
* This function **must** be replaced with a robust word validation mechanism. The current implementation uses a simple hardcoded array, which is not suitable for a real game.
* A proper implementation would involve checking the guessed word against a large dictionary or a predefined list of valid words. * **`updateBoard(guess)` Function:**
* Updates the game board with the player's guess and provides feedback using colored tiles.
* It iterates through each letter of the guess and compares it to the corresponding letter in the `targetWord`.
* It adds the appropriate class (`correct`, `present`, or `absent`) to the tile based on the comparison. * **`handleSubmitGuess()` Function:**
* This function is called when the player clicks the submit button.
* It retrieves the player's guess from the `guessInput` field, converts it to lowercase, and performs several validations:
* Checks if the guess is 5 letters long.
* Checks if the guess is a valid word using the `isValidWord()` function.
* If the guess is valid, it calls `updateBoard()` to update the game board with the guess and feedback.
* It decrements the `guessesRemaining` counter.
* It clears the `guessInput` field.
* It checks if the player has won the game (by guessing the correct word) or lost the game (by running out of guesses).
* It calls `showMessage()` to display appropriate messages to the player.
* If the game is over, it calls `endGame()` to disable the input field and submit button. * **`showMessage(message)` Function:**
* Displays a message to the player in the `messageDisplay` area. * **`endGame()` Function:**
* Disables the input field and submit button to prevent the player from making further guesses after the game is over. * **Event Listener:**
* An event listener is attached to the `submitButton` to call the `handleSubmitGuess()` function when the button is clicked. * **Initialization:**
* The `initializeBoard()` function is called to create the game board when the page loads. ### 4. Selecting a Random Word The current code uses a hardcoded `targetWord`. To make the game more interesting, you need to implement a way to select a random word from a list of words. Here's an example: javascript
const wordList = ["apple", "grape", "melon", "peach", "mango", "words", "other", "valid", "items", "tests", "zebra", "quail"]; // Add many more words! function getRandomWord() {
const randomIndex = Math.floor(Math.random() * wordList.length);
return wordList[randomIndex];
} const targetWord = getRandomWord(); Replace the line `const targetWord = "apple";` with the code above. Remember to significantly expand your `wordList` for a better gaming experience. ### 5. Improving Word Validation The `isValidWord()` function is currently a placeholder and needs to be replaced with a more robust solution. Here are a few approaches: * **Using a Large Word List:** The most common approach is to load a large word list (a text file containing a list of valid words) and check if the user's guess is in that list. You can find word lists online. You would load the word list into an array when the page loads, and then use `includes()` (or a more efficient search algorithm for very large lists) to check if a word is valid. javascript
let wordList = []; fetch('wordlist.txt') // Replace with the actual path to your word list file
.then(response => response.text())
.then(data => {
wordList = data.split(‘\n’).map(word => word.trim()); // Split into lines and trim whitespace
});
function isValidWord(word) {
return wordList.includes(word);
}
You would need to create a `wordlist.txt` file (or whatever name you choose) containing a newline-separated list of words.
* **Using an API:** You could use an external API to validate words. This approach requires making an HTTP request to the API each time the user submits a guess, which can be slower than using a local word list. You’ll also need to find a suitable (and potentially free or paid) API.
### 6. Handling Keyboard Input
Currently, the user has to type their guess into the input field and click the submit button. You can improve the user experience by allowing them to type directly on the game board using the keyboard. You can achieve this by adding an event listener to the `document` to listen for key presses.
javascript
document.addEventListener(‘keydown’, (event) => {
if (guessesRemaining > 0 && !guessInput.disabled) { // Only allow input if game is active
const key = event.key.toLowerCase();
if (key === ‘enter’) {
handleSubmitGuess();
} else if (key === ‘backspace’) {
// Handle backspace to remove the last letter from the input
guessInput.value = guessInput.value.slice(0, -1);
} else if (key.length === 1 && key >= ‘a’ && key <= 'z') {
// Handle letter input (only allow letters)
if (guessInput.value.length < 5) {
guessInput.value += key;
}
}
}
}); This code does the following: * Listens for keydown events on the entire document.
* Checks if the game is active (guessesRemaining > 0 and input not disabled).
* Handles the Enter key to submit the guess (calls `handleSubmitGuess()`).
* Handles the Backspace key to remove the last letter from the input field.
* Handles letter input (a-z): it checks if the key is a letter, and if so, adds it to the input field if the input field is not already full.
### 7. Implementing Hard Mode
Wordle has a “Hard Mode” where any revealed hints (green or yellow letters) must be used in subsequent guesses. Implementing this adds a significant challenge.
Here’s how you can add Hard Mode functionality:
* **Add a Hard Mode Checkbox:** Add a checkbox to your HTML:
html
* **Get the Hard Mode State:** In your JavaScript, get a reference to the checkbox:
javascript
const hardModeCheckbox = document.getElementById(“hard-mode”);
* **Modify `handleSubmitGuess()`:** Inside `handleSubmitGuess()`, *before* calling `updateBoard()`, add a check to see if Hard Mode is enabled. If it is, validate the guess against the existing hints.
javascript
function handleSubmitGuess() {
const guess = guessInput.value.toLowerCase();
// … (Existing validation checks – length, isValidWord)
if (hardModeCheckbox.checked) {
if (!isValidHardModeGuess(guess)) {
showMessage(“Invalid guess for Hard Mode! Use all revealed hints.”);
return;
}
}
updateBoard(guess);
// … (Rest of the handleSubmitGuess() function)
}
* **Implement `isValidHardModeGuess()`:** This is the core of the Hard Mode logic. It needs to check the guess against the known hints (green and yellow letters). This function will iterate through the tiles on the board, checking against letters that the user knows about.
javascript
function isValidHardModeGuess(guess) {
const currentRowIndex = allowedGuesses – guessesRemaining;
const currentRow = gameBoard.children[currentRowIndex];
for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) { const tile = currentRow.children[i]; // Check for green letters (correct position) if (tile.classList.contains('correct')) { if (guess[i] !== targetWord[i]) { return false; // Must use the green letter in the same position } } // Check for yellow letters (present but wrong position) if (tile.classList.contains('present')) { const letter = tile.textContent.toLowerCase(); if (!guess.includes(letter)) { return false; // Must use the yellow letter somewhere in the guess } } } return true; // Guess is valid for Hard Mode } **Explanation of `isValidHardModeGuess()`:** * Iterates through the tiles of the *current* row (the row that contains the hints from the *previous* guess). * For each tile: * If the tile has the `correct` class (green): It checks if the letter in the *same position* in the *new guess* matches the target word. If not, the guess is invalid. * If the tile has the `present` class (yellow): It checks if the letter in the tile exists *anywhere* in the *new guess*. If not, the guess is invalid. ### 8. Sharing Results Wordle allows users to share their results as a series of colored squares. Here's how you can implement a similar feature: * **Create a Function to Generate Emoji String:** javascript function generateResultString() { let resultString = `My Wordle Result (${allowedGuesses - guessesRemaining}/${allowedGuesses}):\n`; for (let i = 0; i < allowedGuesses; i++) { if (gameBoard.children[i]) { // Check if the row exists (some guesses might not be made) const row = gameBoard.children[i]; let rowString = ''; for (let j = 0; j < 5; j++) { const tile = row.children[j]; if (tile) { // Check if the tile exists if (tile.classList.contains('correct')) { rowString += '🟩'; // Green square emoji } else if (tile.classList.contains('present')) { rowString += '🟨'; // Yellow square emoji } else { rowString += '⬛'; // Black square emoji } } } resultString += rowString + '\n'; } } return resultString; } **Explanation:** * Builds a string that starts with a title like "My Wordle Result (3/6):". * Iterates through each row of the game board. * For each row, it iterates through each tile. * Based on the tile's class (`correct`, `present`, `absent`), it appends the corresponding emoji (green, yellow, or black square) to the `rowString`. * After processing all tiles in a row, it adds the `rowString` to the `resultString`. * Finally, it returns the complete `resultString`. * **Add a Copy to Clipboard Button:** Add a button to your HTML: html
In your JavaScript, get a reference to the button:
javascript
const shareButton = document.getElementById(“share-button”);
Enable the share button when the game ends and attach an event listener:
javascript
function endGame() {
guessInput.disabled = true;
submitButton.disabled = true;
shareButton.disabled = false; // Enable the share button
}
shareButton.addEventListener(‘click’, () => {
const resultString = generateResultString();
navigator.clipboard.writeText(resultString)
.then(() => {
showMessage(“Result copied to clipboard!”);
})
.catch(err => {
console.error(‘Failed to copy: ‘, err);
showMessage(“Failed to copy result.”);
});
});
**Explanation:**
* The `endGame()` function now enables the share button when the game ends.
* When the share button is clicked:
* It calls `generateResultString()` to get the emoji representation of the game.
* It uses `navigator.clipboard.writeText()` to copy the string to the user’s clipboard.
* It displays a message to the user indicating whether the copy was successful.
### 9. Improving Accessibility
Making your Wordle game accessible to everyone is crucial. Here are some tips:
* **Semantic HTML:** Use semantic HTML elements (like `