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What the custom Wordle feature is for
The creator makes a challenge to share with one other player. NYT editor Marc Lacey said he had made his own Wordle and invited others to do the same. Community posts in the NYT Games discussions describe the idea as “create your own wordle to share!” That phrase is fan language, not an official product name.
What a custom puzzle needs
- Target word: 4 to 7 letters.
- Dictionary check: the word must be in Wordle’s word list. Tom’s Guide reports this as a requirement, and a later community comment summarizes it the same way. Unusual words, names, or other terms outside the list may be rejected.
- Display name: optional.
- Clue: optional.
How to create a puzzle
The walkthrough describes two routes to the same creator. Menu labels can change, so if a label differs, look for the same option in the same area.
In the NYT Games app
- Open the NYT Games app and find Wordle.
- Choose Create+.
In a web browser
- Open the Wordle page on the NYT site.
- Use the create option near the top right of the page.
Setting up the puzzle
- Enter a 4- to 7-letter word that is in Wordle’s dictionary. A word that fails the check will not be accepted.
- Optionally add a display name and a clue.
- Share the resulting puzzle with the person you want to play it.
Subscription: what is free and what is not
Tom’s Guide reports that creating a puzzle requires a subscription. The NYT Help Center states that Wordle remains one of the daily games available free without a Games subscription. The help page does not say whether the custom creator requires a subscription. If you can play the daily Wordle but do not see the creator option, check your current NYT account access before assuming a fault in the feature.
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Troubleshooting a rejected word
- Word too short or too long: the walkthrough sets the range at 4 to 7 letters. Use a word inside that range.
- Word not accepted: the word is probably outside Wordle’s dictionary. Try a common, standard English word of the same length.
- No creator option visible: confirm that your account has the subscription access described above, then retry in the app or the browser.
Custom puzzle or Hasbro’s Wordle: The Party Game
Hasbro’s Wordle: The Party Game is a physical tabletop game for groups. It is not the NYT custom creator, and you do not need it to make NYT puzzles. The table compares the two.
| Feature | NYT custom puzzle (digital) | Hasbro Wordle: The Party Game |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks the word | The creator chooses the target word and an optional clue | The host selects a secret word |
| Setting | A shared link, played digitally | In-person group play |
| Materials | No physical kit described | Reusable dry-erase Wordle boards and markers |
| Attempts | Not stated in the walkthrough | Six attempts, per Hasbro’s official release |
| Modes | Not stated in the walkthrough | Classic, fast, timed, and teams |
| Age guidance | Not stated in the walkthrough | Ages 14 and up |
| Source and date | Tom’s Guide walkthrough, November 7, 2025 | Hasbro release, July 14, 2022 |
Because the Hasbro release dates from 2022, confirm that the game is still sold before planning a group session around it. For broader context on NYT Games, Jonathan Knight, then head of Games for The New York Times, said in that same July 14, 2022 Hasbro release: “With each daily puzzle, we’re connected with friends and family through social play.”
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What the sources do and do not establish
- Interface and rules: reported by Tom’s Guide on November 7, 2025. An official NYT announcement describing the feature was not available to confirm these details, so treat the steps as a reported walkthrough. Button placement may have changed since then.
- Subscription requirement: reported by Tom’s Guide. The NYT Help Center confirms only that daily Wordle is free without a Games subscription.
- Usage: no usage or adoption figures for the custom creator were found in the sources cited here, so this article does not estimate how many puzzles are shared.
This article does not describe any hands-on test of the feature.
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