It seems like practically everyone has heard of Wordle, the viral word game sensation that’s overtaken Twitter timelines and morning commutes. But avid players only get so much Wordle at once. The game allows players only one round of play each day. Some people – including Josh Wardle, the creator of the game – have attributed the game’s success partly to its scarcity. But the lack of abundant games has also left many diehard fans wondering where they’re meant to go to get their Wordle fix.
Several options have popped up in recent months, including playing the Wordle Archives and checking out The Word Finder’s 4-letter and 6-letter Lingle games, as well as our Wordle Solver. But soon, fans can check out the new Lingo game show, too. The 1980s TV series, which appears to have helped inspire Wordle, is being rebooted by CBS, with famous host RuPaul at the helm. But what will the show look like, and when can you expect to watch it? Read on to learn everything we know about the show so far.
What is Lingo?
Lingo is a game show that originally ran from 1987 to 1988. The show has much in common with Wordle. In Lingo, players work in teams to guess five-letter words under a time limit. Players are given the first letter of the word to start their guesses. Subsequently, they will be told which letters they’ve guessed correctly. In this sense, the game is extremely similar to Wordle.
The game show was rebooted several times: first in 2002, running until 2007. Later, in 2011, the show ran again for another brief turn. And now, in 2022, CBS has announced yet another reboot. But this time, the show will be airing for an audience that’s newly rabid for word puzzling games.
What will the rebooted show look like?
The most notable feature of the newest version of Lingo is its host. Known for his turns in shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, RuPaul will reportedly be heading up the new show. Some aspects of the original version will be changed to make the show look a little bit more like Wordle. Teams of players will only consist of two people, for instance, but the players will still be given the first letter. “We give you a letter, and you guess the rest!” will be the apparent slogan of the show.
When is it coming out?
The game is reportedly intended to be released later this year, though no more specific date has yet been set. We can expect that Lingo, like other game shows, won’t take much production effort or timing. That means it’ll likely be released more quickly.
The announcement of the game show has led some social media users to speak of the similarities and differences between Lingo and Wordle. Lingo, which is a cool 25 years old this year, certainly predates any conceptualization of Wordle. We at TWF love Wordle and understand there will always be variations of word games, such as Words with Friends coming out much later than Scrabble (not to mention Lingle!). Stay tuned for updates to our ancient games here at TWF!
In the meantime, the best way to devour more word game love will be to watch Lingo this fall.
