Word Hurdle is the original 6-letter Wordle game, first launched at wordhurdle.in in February 2022. Created as a Wordle-inspired guessing game where players solve six-letter words in six tries, it later became one of the most recognisable Wordle variants on the internet — and was acquired by Solitaired in May 2022, moving to its current home at solitaired.com/wordhurdle. If you've searched for "word hurdle.in", here's everything about the game, its history, and how to play it today.
What Is Word Hurdle?
Word Hurdle is a word-guessing game inspired by the original Wordle. Instead of five-letter words, players guess six-letter words in up to six attempts. After each guess, the tiles change colour to show how close you were:
- Blue — the letter is in the word and in the correct spot
- Yellow — the letter is in the word but in the wrong spot
- Grey — the letter is not in the word at all
That colour-coded tile feedback is the same simple system that made the original daily word puzzle famous — only here it operates on a six-letter answer pool, so every round of this word-guessing game gives you more information per guess to work with.
The six-letter format makes it a noticeably tougher challenge than classic five-letter Wordle, which is exactly why it attracted players who wanted more of a workout after solving their daily Wordle. If you enjoy chained variants too, our guide to Hurdle, the five-letter five-round game covers the closest daily alternative.
The History: From wordhurdle.in to Solitaired
Word Hurdle was founded in February 2022 on wordhurdle.in, right in the middle of the Wordle craze. According to Solitaired's own site, the game "is the original Word Hurdle game", and the company acquired it in May 2022, moving it to solitaired.com/wordhurdle. (The original Wordle itself, created by Josh Wardle, was acquired by The New York Times in early 2022 — a reminder of just how explosive that daily word game boom was.)
Before that, a closely related six-letter game called Wordle 2 was renamed to Word Hurdle — the two names refer to the same six-letter word-guessing game lineage. So if you remember playing "Wordle 2" in early 2022, you were playing Word Hurdle.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original site | wordhurdle.in |
| Launched | February 2022 |
| Acquired by | Solitaired (May 2022) |
| Current home | solitaired.com/wordhurdle |
| Format | Six-letter words, six guesses |
How to Play Word Hurdle
- Type a six-letter word as your first guess and hit Enter.
- Read the tile colours: blue means correct spot, yellow means wrong spot, grey means absent.
- Use the clues to narrow down your next guess — you have six tries total.
- Solve the word to win; your streak is tracked.
Good starter words for six-letter games include BRIDLE, STARED, STREAM, CRANES, and GLANDS — they cover a wide spread of common consonants and vowels, which matters more in six-letter play where the extra letter adds combinatorial complexity.
Word Hurdle vs Other Hurdle Games
The word "hurdle" gets used by several different games, so here's how to keep them straight:
| Game | What it is | Word length |
|---|---|---|
| Word Hurdle (wordhurdle.in → Solitaired) | The original 6-letter Wordle game | 6 letters |
| Arkadium's Hurdle | Five chained five-letter puzzles plus a final challenge | 5 letters × 5 |
| AARP's Today's Hurdle | Five chained puzzles, solved words seed the next | 5 letters × 5 |
| Hurdle (wordhurdle.co) | Once-a-day 8-guess word game | 5 letters |
Word Hurdle (this article) is the six-letter one — the distinguishing feature is the extra letter, which changes strategy completely compared to five-letter variants.
Strategies for 6-Letter Words
Six letters means more possible answers and more information per guess. The best approach:
- Start with a vowel-and-consonant spread like STREAM or CRANES.
- Test new letters on your second guess rather than immediately locking in greens — information is precious.
- Watch for double letters — six-letter words have more room for repeats like EERIE or LLAMA.
- Use the built-in hint button when you're stuck; it reveals a letter without ending your streak.
Word Hurdle Daily and Unlimited Modes
At solitaired.com/wordhurdle you can play two ways. Daily mode gives you one shared puzzle per day — the classic Wordle routine, with your streak tracked across days. Unlimited mode lets you play as many rounds as you like, which is ideal for practising six-letter strategy without any streak pressure. Both modes draw from the same six-letter answer pool and use the same six-guess limit — only the cadence differs.
If you're new, start with unlimited mode: you can experiment with different starting words and learn the six-letter answer pool without fearing a daily loss. Once you're regularly solving in four or five guesses, switch to the daily puzzle and start building your streak.
Is Word Hurdle Free to Play?
Yes. Word Hurdle is completely free to play in your browser at solitaired.com/wordhurdle — no account, no download, and no payment are required. The browser version works on desktop, mobile, and tablet, so you can fit a round of this six-letter word puzzle into a coffee break anywhere.
There are also Word Hurdle mobile apps with hundreds of levels if you prefer a native app experience with saved progress. Those apps are typically free with ads, but the browser version remains the simplest way in: open the page, type a starter word, and you're solving within seconds.
Where to Play Word Hurdle Now
The original wordhurdle.in site now redirects players to its new home. Today you can play at:
- solitaired.com/wordhurdle — the current home since the May 2022 acquisition, with daily and unlimited modes. Play it at solitaired.com/wordhurdle.
- Mobile apps — "Word Hurdle: Guess Hidden Word" editions with 200+ levels, available on iOS and Android for offline-friendly six-letter guessing on the go
- Practice modes — unlimited rounds so you're not limited to one puzzle a day
Whichever platform you choose, the rules are identical: six letters, six guesses, and the familiar blue-yellow-grey tile feedback. The unlimited practice mode is the best starting point for learning starter-word strategy before you commit to the daily puzzle and its streak tracking.
The Bottom Line
Word Hurdle is the original six-letter Wordle game — launched at wordhurdle.in in February 2022, acquired by Solitaired three months later, and still one of the best tougher-than-Wordle vocabulary challenges in the free browser word-game space. If five letters ever felt too easy, the sixth letter changes everything. Give it a go at solitaired.com/wordhurdle and see how your vocabulary holds up. For more daily practice, our daily word puzzle tips will sharpen your guessing across every variant.
Related reading: What Is Wordle? · How to Play Plusword
Sources: solitaired.com/wordhurdle; wordhurdle.org; redactlegame.com/word-hurdle; webcatalog.io
What is Word Hurdle?
Word Hurdle is a Wordle-inspired word-guessing game where you solve six-letter words in six tries, with blue, yellow, and grey tile feedback. It launched at wordhurdle.in in February 2022.
Is wordhurdle.in still available?
The original wordhurdle.in site was acquired by Solitaired in May 2022, and the game now lives at solitaired.com/wordhurdle.
How many letters are in Word Hurdle?
Six. That’s the game’s signature twist — one more letter than classic Wordle, making it significantly harder.
What do the colours mean in Word Hurdle?
Blue means the letter is in the correct spot, yellow means it’s in the word but misplaced, and grey means it’s not in the word.
Is Word Hurdle the same as Wordle 2?
Essentially, yes. Wordle 2 was renamed to Word Hurdle, and both refer to the original six-letter word-guessing game.
Is Word Hurdle free?
Yes — it’s free to play in your browser at solitaired.com/wordhurdle with no account needed.
What are good starting words for Word Hurdle?
BRIDLE, STARED, STREAM, CRANES, and GLANDS are strong starters because they cover many common consonants and vowels.
How is Word Hurdle different from Arkadium’s Hurdle?
Word Hurdle is a single six-letter word puzzle. Arkadium’s Hurdle is a different game: five chained five-letter puzzles plus a final challenge round.
Does Word Hurdle have an unlimited mode?
Yes. Alongside the daily puzzle, solitaired.com/wordhurdle offers unlimited practice rounds, so you can play as many six-letter puzzles as you want while learning starter-word strategy.
Can I play Word Hurdle on my phone?
Yes. The browser version works on mobile, and there are Word Hurdle mobile apps with hundreds of levels for on-the-go play.