How to Play Worldle

Your no-nonsense guide to the daily geography game - from first guess to winning streak

What Is Worldle?

Every day at midnight UTC, Worldle puts the same mystery country silhouette in front of every player on the planet. Your job? Figure out which country it is in six guesses or fewer. After each guess, you get three clues - how far off you are in kilometres, a compass arrow pointing toward the answer, and a proximity percentage (100% = nailed it). There's no sign-up, no app to install, and it works on whatever screen you've got handy. It sounds simple, and some days it is. Other days you'll be staring at a blob wondering if it's Burkina Faso or Botswana.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1 - Study the Silhouette

Before you type anything, just look. Seriously - spend a few seconds with the shape. Is it long and skinny? Could be Chile, or maybe Norway. Boxy and wide? Maybe Kazakhstan or Mongolia. Got a bunch of islands? Think Philippines, Indonesia, or Japan. The coastline does most of the talking here. Peninsulas, bays, and jagged edges are your best friends. Even if you can't name the country, you can usually rule out three or four continents just from the outline's vibe.

Step 2 - Take Your First Guess

Tap the search box and start typing. A dropdown pops up with matching countries and their flags, so you don't have to worry about spelling Kyrgyzstan from memory. Pick one and hit Enter. Your first guess will probably be wrong - that's fine, that's the whole point. A lot of regulars kick things off with a 'probe' guess: a big, central country in whatever continent they suspect. India for Asia, Nigeria for Africa, Germany for Europe. It burns a guess but gives you a solid clue baseline.

Step 3 - Read the Distance

Right after you guess, a number in kilometres appears. Zero means you won (congrats, close this guide). Anything over 10,000 km? You're on the wrong side of the world. Under 2,000 km means you're in the neighbourhood - think next-door countries. The distance alone won't tell you where to go, but it tells you roughly how far to jump on your mental map.

Step 4 - Follow the Arrow

This is where it gets fun. The arrow points from your guess toward the target. So if you guessed Brazil and the arrow points northeast, you're probably looking at West Africa. Guessed Germany and got a southeast arrow with 2,500 km? Turkey, maybe Greece, possibly Egypt. Distance tells you how far; the arrow tells you which direction. Together, they shrink your search area from 'the entire planet' to a small wedge of the globe.

Step 5 - Watch the Proximity Bar

There's also a percentage - 0% to 100% - that gives you a gut-check on how warm you are. North of 80%? You're really close, probably a bordering country. Between 40% and 80% means right region, wrong pick. Below 20% and you need to rethink your continent. The bar fills up with green as you get closer, so at a glance you can feel whether you're homing in or drifting.

Step 6 - Narrow It Down

Now you've got distance, direction, and proximity from at least one guess. Overlay them and the answer starts to emerge. Two well-placed guesses often give you enough to triangulate the country on your third try. If you're stuck, think about which countries sit in the overlap zone. It can help to picture a globe in your head (or peek at one - no judgement).

Step 7 - Win and Share

Nail the answer and you'll see a card with the country's flag, capital, continent, and a few quick facts - population, land area, that sort of thing. Hit the Share button to send an image card to friends or group chats. No spoilers. Your streak counter ticks up automatically, so you've got a reason to come back tomorrow.

Tips & Strategies

Build a Shape Library in Your Head

You don't need all 197 countries memorised. Start with about 30 that are impossible to mistake: Italy's boot, India's kite, Japan's arc, Chile's ribbon, the UK's stubby profile. After a few weeks of daily play, you'll be surprised how many outlines you recognise on sight. When you miss one, look it up - that five-second review sticks better than any flashcard.

Pick Smart Opening Guesses

If you have absolutely no clue, go with a geographically central country on the continent you suspect. DR Congo for Africa, India for Asia, Germany for Europe, Brazil for South America. Even if it's wrong, the clue combination gives you a great second-guess launchpad. Think of it like opening with a centre pawn in chess - it's boring but it works.

Ignore Apparent Size

The silhouette is scaled to fill the display, so tiny Luxembourg and massive Russia can look the same size on screen. Don't let that trip you up. Focus on the shape's proportions, coastline quirks, and border angles instead. A country's outline tells you what it is; its screen size tells you nothing.

Triangulate with Two Guesses

The fastest path to the answer is triangulation. After two guesses, draw an imaginary line from each using the arrow directions, and see where they cross. That intersection is probably pretty close to the target. Get comfortable doing this mentally and you'll regularly solve puzzles in three or four guesses.

Know Your Neighbours

Once proximity goes above 80%, you almost certainly need a country that shares a border with your last guess. This is where mental maps of 'who touches who' really pay off. Spend some time on our Countries page exploring border relationships - it's the single biggest skill jump for intermediate players.

← Play Worldle Explore All Countries →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many guesses do I get in Worldle?

Six per puzzle. Each guess gives you a distance, direction arrow, and proximity percentage so you can zero in on the answer.

When does a new Worldle puzzle appear?

Midnight UTC, every day. Everyone on the planet gets the same country, so you can compare notes (or compete) with friends in different time zones.

Can I play Worldle on my phone?

Absolutely - it's built to work in any modern browser, phone or desktop. No app store involved, just open worldle91.com and go.

What do the proximity percentages mean?

It's a closeness score from 0% to 100%. Hit 100% and you've got it. Above 80% usually means a neighbouring country. Between 40-80% you're in the right region. Below 20% and you're way off. The number comes from the straight-line distance between country centres.

Is Worldle the same as Wordle?

Nope - same daily-puzzle DNA, totally different game. Wordle is about words; Worldle is about geography. You're guessing countries from silhouettes here, not five-letter words.

How can I get better at Worldle?

Play every day (streaks help build muscle memory), browse the Countries page to get familiar with outlines, and always read all three clues together - not just one. The tips section above has more specific strategies. Most people see a real jump in skill after about two weeks of daily play.