Hurdle is a multi-stage Wordle game of survival (2024)

Another day, another Wordle clone arrives to join our list of the best Wordle alternatives. But rather than offer a totally different take on the original, Hurdle takes the classic format we all know and love then gives you five successive games to play.

Not to be confused with another Wordle clone — the musical guessing game Heardle — Hurdle is aimed at those who find guessing one word a day a bit too limiting. However, it adds to the pressure by requiring you to clear four Hurdles before the final word appears.With each one, the answer will then become the first guess for the next puzzle — so you won't be able to use the best Wordle start words for most of them.

Then, once you get onto the final word, four of the traditional guess slots are pre-filled with the previous correct words, leaving you with just two attempts to uncover the final answer and complete the series. If you fall here, or at an earlier Hurdle, then you’re out and have to wait until tomorrow to try again.

Otherwise, it’s the familiar Wordle that we all know and love. You’re presented with a mystery five-letter word, and you get six guesses to deduce what it may be. Every letter in the right place is marked in green, while a correct letter in the wrong place gets shaded yellow. From there, you have to work backwards to figure out what the gaps could be. In other words, the usual Wordle tips and tricks should work for you just fine here.

Whether you’ll enjoy this new twist depends on how you treat a successful Wordle completion. For me, it’s a sense of relief that the win has ensured my streak is safe for another 24 hours, but with Hurdle you’re immediately presented with another and the pressure starts all over again. Getting three rounds in successfully was a thrill, but I wouldn’t say it’s exactly relaxing.

It is, however, less stressful than the battle royale multiplayer Squabble and at least you only have to guess one word at a time, unlike Dordle, Quordle and Octordle which feature two, four and eighth words consecutively respectively. It’s also more straightforward than Semantle, which requires you to figure out a word based on its semantic closeness and which can take hundreds of guesses a time.

If you want a break from guessing, you could always try setting the mystery word. Adverswordle has you doing just that, while an AI ruthlessly runs through all the possibilities based on you marking its work. Or you could just make words for your friends with Wordle Unlimited and watch others sweat for a change.