Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL.

Fellow nerds who love words, this one's for you.
By Ashley Keegan  on 
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

Overview

Best for the Wordle experience IRL

Wordle The Party Game

Jump to Details
Best Overall

Scrabble

Jump to Details
Best For Beginners

Boggle Classic Game

Jump to Details
Best For Big Groups

Bananagrams

Jump to Details
Best For Strategists

Upwords

Jump to Details
Best Wordle Dupe

A Little Wordy

Jump to Details
Best For Creative Freedom

Play On Words Card Game

Jump to Details
Best For Little Kids

ThinkFun Zingo Word Builder

Jump to Details
Best For Older Kids

Scrabble Junior

Jump to Details
See 4 More

The Wordle obsession is real, y'all. And you know how I know? Because it's brought you here: to the point where you're actually looking for real-life, tangible games to play to fulfill your growing need for that sweet, sweet word building and letter unscrambling. In a world where everything we do is on our phones and there's very little that can pull our attention away from our shiny handheld devices, that's a pretty impressive feat.

What is Wordle, anyway?

Wordle is a daily word puzzle created by Brooklyn-based software engineer Josh Wardle. The web-based word game launched in October of 2021 and soared to popularity so quickly that it was snatched up by The New York Times by January 2022. The game itself has remained the same since day one, however: a grid of gray boxes where you get six chances to guess the day's predetermined five-letter word. 

You start by typing in one five-letter word which will let you know if any of those letters is in the day's word. If it is, the letter will turn yellow; if it is not, it will be gray. A green letter, however, is best because that means the letter is in the word and in the correct spot. We break down all the details (and best strategies) here, but that's the gist.

Alas, we can only play one Wordle per day. (Tread carefully there for spoilers if you haven't yet played today's word! Though we do give you several warnings.) And it's that very nature of the game that keeps us going back for more — day after day after day.

Why are word games so popular?

It's not just Wordle, though. Classic word games like Scrabble have roots that go back at least 100 years, and they've lasted the test of time as they remain just as popular today. Whether digital or tangible, there's something about word games that just keeps us coming back for more. To get a better idea of what that something really is, we spoke to Emanuel Robinson, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at Battelle.

Dr. Robinson points out that intellectual engagement in various forms of games has always been popular with different groups or classes, going all the way back to Victorian-era brain games that kept folks entertained long before the advent of television. But why are we still so drawn to these games when we have so many other potential distractions these days?

"Personality may play a part," says Dr. Robinson, citing one's personal need for cognition. "Someone high in this trait tends to seek out intellectually stimulating content." He also notes the competitive component of not just games we actively play against in-person opponents, but also games like Wordle that we play individually and all-too-easily share with friends, strangers, and the entire internet, if we so choose. "Inherent drive to 'lead the pack' — whether a large, anonymous group or close family members — is strong."

What makes the best word games so habit-forming? 

These word games are not just popular, but playing them has actually become a habit for many of us. Dr. Robinson credits this to a matter of behavioral psychology, resulting from the fact that many games are built on the principles of simple responses to different stimuli.

"Provide rewards in variable and intermittent intervals and you’ll increase the drive to play the game," he explains.

Simply put? In the case of Wordle, in particular, the sheer fact that it can only be played once a day (designed by Wardle with the intention of preventing addiction) is precisely what creates the habit of playing every day. And when it comes to physical, tabletop word games, the simple rush and reward of winning — or the potential to win — will always keep you coming back for more.

What are the benefits of playing word games?

Before you start Googling treatments for your newfound word game addiction, let's just slow your roll and recognize that there are benefits to playing word games. Though Dr. Robinson notes that this area is debatable, he points out there has been some evidence of word games being beneficial, especially for children and older adults.

"There are some skills that one exercises in focused word game and other intellectual game play that seems to be beneficial in a variety of areas," he says, including but not limited to:

  • Focused concentration for an extended period of time

  • Limiting distractions

  • Connecting different concepts and accessing stores of memory

  • Finding novel associations

  • Identifying mistakes or discarding bad words/ideas

Whether they can boost your brain power or not, there's one important and very clear-cut benefit that cannot be debated, and that's the sheer fact that the best word games out there are also fun. That alone is the biggest benefit we can think of when it comes to playing them, even if they're not necessarily able to improve the average adult's cognition levels.

Are tangible word games more beneficial than digital word games?

"Theoretically, there are advantages to games or activities that use multiple modalities," says Dr. Robinson, referring to tangible, multiplayer games that utilize both physical and verbal aspects in their gameplay. "Using multiple modes of encoding and interaction make it easier to remember and access the information. So if we use both physical and verbal cues, then there are two different pathways to that information in the future."

He also points out that puzzles — whether logic-based, mathematics, word puzzles or otherwise — can exercise different mental skills that can carry over to other types of problem-solving or activities that can be helpful in personal or professional contexts. There is even an area of social problem solving, which one might argue could be enhanced by the in-person, head-to-head gameplay of real-life word games.

Overall, Dr. Robinson notes that playing physical word games (as opposed to digital ones) may provide richer encoding of information because of the full context of modes. "Not only is it physical, but there are often other people involved which is another line of encoding and accessing information to make the memories more vivid."

What is the best word game for Wordle fans? 

Maybe you've just hopped on the Wordle bandwagon, or maybe you're months-deep into your obsession. Either way, if you're craving the ability to bring all that competitive unscrambling and word-making into the real, physical world, we've got a bunch of solid recommendations for you. From classic word games like Scrabble and Boggle to a whole new generation of unique and innovative games that put an extra fun spin on things, these are some of the best word games you can play with your fellow Wordle addicts during your next game night.

wordle board game box with yellow, green, and gray tiles

Wordle The Party Game

Best for the Wordle experience IRL

It doesn't get closer to Wordle than the official Wordle board game. Each round of the game requires one player to be the host and come up with the secret word. The game comes with three whiteboards that look like the online Wordle grid, where other players write their guesses. The host then places green and yellow tiles on the letters guessed correctly, while leaving incorrect letters blank (instead of placing gray tiles, like in the virtual game). It’s almost exactly like the online version of the game, just a little more manual. There aren’t any new elements or rules to the board game, which is good for die-hard Wordle fans. However, the game does get a bit boring after a couple of rounds, especially for those who don't play Wordle daily anymore.

Read our full review of Wordle The Party Game.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

As far as tile-based games go, it's hard to beat classic word games like Scrabble. It's had plenty of themed facelifts and "new and improved" iterations over the years (not to mention lots of subpar imitations), but this particular crossword-style word-building game remains one of the most popular and overall best word games for a reason. Whether you're a beginner or a word-slinging pro, everyone gets seven letter tiles to start creating words and building upon the letters added to the board with each turn. Plus, racking up the most points requires a little bit of strategy to land your highest-scoring letters on those special double letter and triple word tiles, so the competitive gameplay goes beyond just word creation, too.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Instead of giving you a limited set of letters to arrange into words of your choosing, Boggle is a word game that acts as more of a word search. Just place all the letter cubes in the grid base, slap on the lid, and give 'em a good shake to get the game started. Then take off the lid, flip over the included timer, and race to find as many words as possible. You can play on your own against the clock, or compete with as many opponents as you can comfortably fit around the game base. Whoever scores the most points wins — but if two or more players find the same word, it doesn't count! So it pays to have a keen eye and a big vocabulary.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Bananagrams on a white background.

Bananagrams

Best For Big Groups

This award-winning word game challenges players to create their own crossword grid with the random letter tiles they've been given, all the while shouting banana-related commands like "split" and "peel" to swap and add tiles. When there are fewer tiles left in the center pile than there are players, you'll rush to finish your grid by using all of your tiles. But, if there are any spelling mistakes or proper nouns, you'll be a "rotten banana" and eliminated from the game — and all your tiles go into the center pile, and play resumes for everyone else until the "top banana" is crowned. The coolest part, however, is that lots of people can play at once, and the pace of the game will change depending on this. You can even add another set (or opt for the 16-player Double Bananagrams) to get more players in on the action.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Upwords board game cover.

Upwords

Best For Strategists

This self-proclaimed game of "quick stacking and word hacking" plays a lot like classic word board games (such as Scrabble), except you can place tiles on top of the tiles already played on the board. This strategic move will score you higher points the higher you stack, and allows for a fun twist that helps the game move faster and play quicker than Scrabble. Plus, the board spins like a lazy Susan so it's always easy for players to clearly see the board when it's their turn.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

If you're more into guessing one specific word rather than unscrambling letters, this next-gen word game (from the modern gaming pioneers behind the hilarious hits Exploding Kittens and Throw Throw Burrito) brings that Wordle-style fun to a more social, tangible level. Each player is given a pile of letters to rearrange into one word that is written down and kept secret from their opponent. But beware — trying to show off your big vocabulary could actually put you at a disadvantage! The objective is to guess your opponent's word by using the provided clue cards that help you deduce things like the length of the word and specific letters used. So, in order to outsmart your opponent, you might actually opt for a deceptively simple word instead.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

This family-friendly game puts a clever twist on the tile-based gameplay of other word games by introducing letter cards instead. Because the word-building components aren't constricted to a grid or board, players have way more freedom to rearrange and insert letters to create bigger, better, higher-scoring words. For example, if you or your opponent previously played the word "tale," you can choose to "play on" that word with the letters "s" and "b" to create "stable." You're not limited to just tacking letters to the beginning or end (like Scrabble) or stacking letters over previous words (like Upwords); you don't even need to keep the original letters in the same order (e.g. a word like "zone" can be rearranged with the addition of "f" and "r" to create "frozen")! This allows for more strategic gameplay and a much more exciting challenge with each turn.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

If you have a budding wordsmith in your family, this is quite possibly the best word game to help small kids develop their vocabulary, letter sounds, word recognition and spelling skills — but it's so much fun that they'll never even know that they're learning while they're playing! It's fast-paced and highly interactive, so kids stay engaged as they slide the “zinger” to reveal a letter tile and then use it to complete a word on the bingo card. The first to fill their card is the winner. The game includes six double-sided cards and 72 double-sided letter tiles so kids can play one-on-one or with a group of friends.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Scrabble Junior features a unique double-sided game board that makes this a great choice to grow with your child as they master their gameplay. On one side, kids match letter tiles to the pre-existing words on the board to help develop vocabulary and spelling skills while introducing them to standard Scrabble gameplay. As points are earned, the player's cute tile token is moved around the track on the board until the highest scorer wins. On the other side, the board acts more like a standard Scrabble board, with a blank grid for creating words from scratch. There are no special double- or triple-score tiles, however, so scoring remains easy for young learners, and they can develop word skills without having to worry about strategy.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Topics Wordle

Mashable Image
Ashley Keegan

Ashley Keegan is a freelance contributor to Mashable.


Recommended For You
Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for March 7
a phone displaying Wordle

Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for March 8
a phone displaying Wordle

Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for February 28
a phone displaying Wordle

Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for February 26
a phone displaying Wordle

Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for March 3
a phone displaying Wordle

More in Entertainment
The best laptops you can buy in 2024 for work, school, and gaming
a 15-inch m3 apple macbook air sitting on a wooden table in starbucks

15-inch M3 MacBook Air review: Read this before you even think about buying
15-inch M3 MacBook Air on a table

XREAL (formerly Nreal) Air AR glasses are so cool but need some serious work
pair of tinted AR glasses with smaller lenses inside

RayNeo Air 2 XR glasses capitalize on the hype without delivering on promises
woman's hand holding dark, reflective XR glasses

Galaxy S24 Ultra review: I’m a Samsung stan, but iPhone 15 Pro Max is testing me
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for March 9
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'

Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for March 9
a phone displaying Wordle

NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for March 8
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'

Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for March 8
a phone displaying Wordle

21 of the best ChatGPT courses you can take online for free
ChatGPT on phone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!