This afternoon, if you try to go to powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle – the confusing URL that used to host the internet’s most popular daily word puzzle – the site will redirect to the New York Times site. Then, we’re met by a familiar-looking website however something seems a bit off-key until it becomes apparent that the name “Wordle” is now in the trademark New York Times font, an alteration from the traditional Helvetica that we’re used to.
The New York Times announced it would purchase Josh Wardle’s hit movie in exchange for “a low seven-figure sum.” However, the publisher that has been around for a while has already taken steps to do so in the direction of a URL redirect! In the event that New York Times published a list of Wordle tips and tricks just three hours ago it were able to link to the previous “Power Language” URL – maybe the authors are the same way as us.
We were aware of this and the new adjustments to this game’s interface are so minor that you might not even notice them at the beginning (now there’s hamburger menus on the left side of the screen which takes users to different New York Times games) . However, here at TechCrunch we’ve become to love this bizarre URL.
We loved powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle because it was so counter-intuitive, clearly not designed to go viral. There was no debate over search engine optimization and discoverability and it was still a huge success. Even if you’ve heard about Wordle from someone you know, you could search for it online and then be confused about what this “Power Language” website is the best place to look – or maybe you’d believe it’s an app but you’ve mistakenly downloaded a fake .
What is the reason for powerlanguage? We were fortunate that when we spoke with Wardle earlier this month and asked Wardle about the story behind his web presence on what could have seemed like an interminable time for the programmer who was suddenly sought-after.
“That’s just a username that I’ve been using online for a long time and it’s a result of misunderstanding someone,” Wardle explained to TechCrunch. “Someone was calling both me and my buddies names back when I was a kid. We were slammed by one another for slapping one another. I believed he was saying “power language”. In retrospect, he was saying “foul language” and I did not understand the meaning, but I was overjoyed by the idea of swearing to be a “power language” and just went about as you would when you’re 16 years old, or whatever.”
However, here’s the negative news : while the web migration can preserve your statistics on your games however, it seems to reset your streak every day. This is a shame however, it could be an opportunity to unwind from the pressure to be perfect and let ourselves make a guess at a bad first word in the near future and enjoy the power of languagehow easily organizing and rearranging letters can bring us satisfaction that we can enjoy with our loved ones every day as a ritual. If you tweet about it, which is also acceptable.
