Play This Autostraddle-Themed Spinoff of Wordle for a Good, Gay Time

Like most people of the internet, I have been charmed in recent days by the rise of Wordle, the one-a-day word guessing game made by a guy for his puzzle-loving partner. How wholesome! The ad-free, cost-free, notification-free web game feels like the perfect antidote to…well, pretty much everything else on the entire web. After my first play my immediate thought was, of course: there needs to be a gay version of this! Fortunately, queers of the internet were already on the case with Queerdle, a gay Wordle spinoff. Unfortunately, I was mildly stumped by some of the gay male lingo included and fretted that I might one day not be able to get the correct answer. I realised that in order to protect my 100% success rate, the only option would be to create a version so incredibly specific to my own interests (aka being queer and reading this very website) that I could not fail.

Thanks to the brilliant creators of Queerdle (and the clone it was based on, Worble) making their code freely available for reuse on Glitch, I was able to make this puzzle dream a reality! Thus I present to you: Tirtl! (yes, this is a riff on Riese’s beloved, long-running TIRTIL column). Every day you have the incredible opportunity to guess a 5-letter queer-adjacent word that is probably related to niche Autostraddle content!

Why delay, go and play Tirtl today! But only once — just like the original, you’ll have to wait until the next day for a fresh puzzle.

(Also, if you’re craving more queer puzzle content and are an A+ member, you can still go back in time and solve these queer history-themed puzzles from the end of last year!)

Note: Your puzzle-solving celebrations are encouraged in the comments, but please try not to spoil the word of the day for anyone.

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Sally

Sally lives in the UK. Her work has been featured in a Korean magazine about queer people and their pets, and a book about haunted prisons. She never intended for any of this to happen.

Sally has written 81 articles for us.

113 Comments

  3. Wow, I got it! I’m not sure the gay theme helps me except on my last guess it saved me! Can you as the creator see people’s attempts?

    • I got all the way to the last word and I was sweatingggggg because I didn’t want to get it wrong! I almost didn’t figure it out (I agree, looking for the gayest combination did help at the end there)

    • Same. The theme didn’t help me until my last guess, when I literally smacked my forehead with my hand as the (very AS relevant) answer became obvious to me.

      For my first try I kept trying AS / queer themed things like KStew that the game didn’t recognize as “real words” until I realized that I just needed to put in any 5 letter word that I could think of and go from there.

    • Nope, can’t see attempts. You can guess whatever your heart secretly desires! (as long as your heart’s desires are in the dictionary)

  6. Sally I have been saying I don’t get the wordle craze because it seems so related to luck

    Then I tried this anyways and got it on the second go, and now I feel like the queer gods are trying to tempt me

    Wait are you actually a queer deity?

  7. Same. The theme didn’t help me until my last guess, when I literally smacked my forehead with my hand as the (very AS relevant) answer became obvious to me.

    For my first try I kept trying AS / queer themed things like KStew that the game didn’t recognize as “real words” until I realized that I just needed to put in any 5 letter word that I could think of and go from there.

  9. Love this so much! My English is limited but I seem to be pretty fluent in Queerness. Got it on the second guess 😅

  10. so what I’m hearing is if I have an autostraddle dream and comment it it will come true? am I Lottie Matthews now

  11. I’d never tried wordle and had no idea how this worked, but it was super fun once I figured it out. Thanks, sally!

  13. This is what Autostraddle so my favourite place on the internet – how do you always know exactly what I want?????

    Anyway, got it in five! Can’t wait to add this to my morning wordle ritual!

  14. this is great because while I love wordle, I always want to do JUST ONE MORE WORD per day (but not too many because that’ll become my whole personality) and now I caaaan thank youuuuu

  19. Love it!

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #1
    Guesses:4/6

    ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨
    🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛
    🟩🟩🟨🟨⬛
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  20. I am sooo excited about this!!!!!

    Potential spoilers!! Don’t read rest if you don’t want any vague potential hints!

    I got it on the third try! I think my 2nd try was hilarious though but don’t want to spoil any letters. So I’ll just say I had 3 letters wrong places that were part of the name of an AS person who recently left for new adventures! and somehow it accepted a name as a guess but that lead me to guessing the right word.

  21. Not me getting it on my first guess 💀💀💀

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #1
    Guesses:1/6

    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  23. Yay!

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #1
    Guesses:3/6

    ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨
    🟨🟨🟨⬛🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  26. Ooh I’ve spent the last week being like “wtf is wordle” bc I apparently can’t just Google things, but this is extremely up my alley. I got it in two guesses!

    TIRTL #1
    Guesses:2/6

    🟨⬛⬛⬛🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    • LOL Chloe same!! I thought for sure it would turn out to cost money, not be that fun, too complicated, there had to be a catch… but no, it’s just right up my alley and very nice ☺️

  29. You can just click on any of the links (tirtl) in the article above.
    However be warned, I did #1 last night then felt compelled to do #2 this morning when I really should have been helping my kid to write in a birthday card for her friend down the road. Games on phones may not entirely be a force for good.

  32. Todays was a good one!!

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #2
    Guesses:3/6

    🟨🟩⬛⬛🟨
    ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  33. This is delightful.

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #2
    Guesses:2/6

    ⬛⬛🟩🟨⬛
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  34. This is so goddam fun Sally!!

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #2
    Guesses:3/6

    ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨
    🟨🟩⬛⬛⬛
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  36. Update: got it in one because I know my Autostraddle lore!

    TIRTL #2
    Guesses:1/6

    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  37. Once I figured it out, I was a little embarrassed that it took me so long but also the colors threw me off?

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #2
    Guesses:5/6

    🟨🟨🟨⬛⬛
    ⬛🟨🟨🟨🟨
    ⬛🟨🟨🟨🟨
    ⬛🟨🟨🟨🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  39. This is so great, but sadly due to the time difference I only found out about this in time for word #2. Can anyone share what the first ever TIRTL was?

  40. idk if i should be proud or embarrassed

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #2
    Guesses:1/6

    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  41. We won’t discuss my results for days 1 and 2, but:

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #3
    Guesses:1/6

    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  42. Ooh I got it first time today! Although I have tried that word a couple of times, I guess it was bound to come up eventually :)

  43. Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #3
    Guesses:1/6

    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    Omg this is my first time getting it on the first try

  44. I’m deeply respectful of those of you that keep trying the same starting word in the hope you will hit the first-time guess jackpot. This is a solid strategy that is likely to reap rewards sooner or later.

  45. been seeing wordle just about everywhere but was too afraid to ask, thank you for making a special queer one that feels catered to me specifically hehe. i enjoy the format of tirtle a lot!!

    me today:

    ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  46. TIRTL #3
    Guesses:5/6

    Once again, once I got it I couldn’t believe how long it took me. But until then I just whining about how haarrrrdddd it was.

  47. Was stuck all day on today’s word after 3 guesses, and then it came to me suddenly on the drive home (waited til I was out of the car to confirm).

  48. Wait so I’m on #5 already, but I think most people are still on #4? I’m guessing this is because I’m in South Africa and it’s already the 25th here?
    I’ve loved all the words so far, obviously, but #5 is the BEST one! And I got it on the 2nd try.
    Thank you Sally for this very important work, and thank you for fixing time and space so that time travellers like me could do #1 after the 21st.

    • Yes, you have surmised correctly! The new word should land at midnight according to your own time zone.

  49. I was trying to explain TIRTIL to my spouse and he was like, so it’s like Wordle but with words like (redacted1) and (redacted2). And I was like EXACTLY – redacted1 was yesterday’s and redacted2 is only 4 letters but I almost tried it anyway.

  50. Once again I can’t believe it took me so long to get it.

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #5
    Guesses:5/6

    ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
    ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟩
    ⬛🟨⬛⬛🟩
    ⬛🟨🟩🟨🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    • I’m thinking of adding the ability to play any past game to give you the chance to play any you’ve missed out on!

      However, if you are really desperate to know a certain word, feel free to drop me an email on sally at autostraddle dot com !

  52. I have a feeling a decent number of folks got today’s on their first try. (I didn’t 😂 but I can never think of any gay words when I open TIRTL)

  53. I used my fridge magnets to help me today… cheating, or just a special hint system for those who financially support AS?

  54. I have to confess that I have been staying awake so I can do the latest tirtl at midnight. Thanks again Sally. Can you tell us how many of these there are going to be?
    Also: I think it’s a great idea to make the old ones available as well. I would happily play them all again.

    • Hoping to keep going until people start getting wordle-related fatigue!

      Glad you are enjoying these, but make sure you get plenty of sleep!

  55. @Sally. I mean… It’s completely appropriate that today’s word would f*ck with you… But was it intentional that the word that ends up being the word is also an “invalid word”? 😅

    • Yes…it seems today’s word completely broke it so we have an entirely different word instead while I try and fix things!

      • Ok, fixed the issue! If you re-try today’s game in a private browser, you’ll have a clean slate for guessing the new word.

        The word that broke everything will make a reappearance very soon!

        • So I take it I wasn’t the only person who’s tirtl broke /o\ took a break of several hours and when I continued, the clues were for a different word. Thanks for fixing it though, I’ll be back tomorrow :)

        • Ah, I think this answers my question about today’s tirtle (#13).

          I didn’t get the answer today and I was so bummed! I’d actually tried the answer as a guess for tirtle #1 and it was rejected as an incorrect word so it didn’t occur to me to try it again today (having missed this conversation).

          And Sally, of all of my favorite things on AS, this game is my current favorite-ist. Thank you so, so much for creating it and tweaking it.

          • Thank you Cleo! I am glad you are still playing and enjoying.

            And yes, I have had to gayify the dictionary so it accepts all the gay words we know and love. I am hopeful one day the dictionary will be 100% gay.

  56. Y’know, I pretend it’s the rad intersectional politics and queer lit reviews but honestly – THIS is the shit that keeps me coming back :D

  57. Phew

    TIRTL #13
    Guesses:5/6

    🟨🟨⬛⬛⬛
    ⬛⬛🟨🟨🟨
    ⬛🟨🟨🟨⬛
    ⬛⬛🟩🟩🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  58. Woot!!! My strategy of starting with the same word every day finally paid off. Go me.

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #16
    Guesses:1/6

    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  59. @Sally Congratulations and THANK YOU for a whole month of excellent tirtl distraction and quality nerd entertainmemt! 🎉❤️

  61. This was the fifth word I thought of before typing it in.

    Here’s how you did:
    TIRTL #34
    Guesses:1/6

    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  63. Oh, the small joy you have brought me each day!!! Thank you, Sally ♥️ I don’t know how much work it is to do TIRTL, but if you have it in your heart and schedule to continue, consider this my enthusiastic vote for doing so! Meanwhile, I’ve decided to plug the gayest words I can think of into regular Wordle and then get mad at the game when I don’t win. That’s a good plan, right?

  66. I’m obsessed with Wordle but this Gay Wordle spinoff is everything – queer, witty, and fabulously queer! Can’t wait for the next round

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