'Stupid American': Wordle fans revolt over US spelling of 'humor'

Wordle is a logic game which asks the user to guess the five-letter word of the day. Photo / Getty

Wordle might be on of the purest corners of the internet filled with an appreciation for five-letter words but fans have taken offence with Wednesday’s word.

For those who don't know, Wordle is a logic game which asks the user to guess the five-letter word of the day. You get six chances per game and you can only play one game every day.

However, the only problem that tarnishes this otherwise perfect game is that it uses an Americanised dictionary, which puts New Zealanders, Australians and the Brits at a disadvantage.

This includes words ending in 'ise' or 'yse' that Americans spell with an 'ize' or 'yze' (think along the lines of analyse, recognise, sympathise). Words like honour, colour and rumour are also allowed thanks to their Americanised forms.

This is what happened with Wednesday's word, which threw Kiwis, Australians, the Brits, and anyone who doesn't abide by the British English dialect, for a loop.

Ironically, the word was humour.

"The Wordle today made me angry bc I couldn't get it and I think that's confirmed I've lived in Australia too long," wrote one US expat on Twitter.

"'Stupid American' trending in the UK and Australia because of Wordle. Made it a bit easier for me today," shared another user.

Booooooooooo!

Wordle 235 4/6

⬛⬛🟨🟨⬛
🟨🟩⬛⬛🟩
⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

— Tez (@tezilyas) February 8, 2022

The chosen word also struck a wrong chord with the Brits, where regular players became so irate that "stupid American" became a top trend on Twitter.

"Brits are absolutely fuming over Wordle today," shared one Twitter user.

"Clearly Brits who play Wordle have no sense of …" read another cheeky tweet.

"Na, not having this. Americans spell the word wrong! No one outside the US is going to get this," wrote one user on Twitter.

"The Brits are gonna have a tough time with today's Wordle," shared another.

Oh boy. Someone needs to give the @nytimes a list of five letter words that actually have five letters.

— Karen Sweeney (@karenlsweeney) February 8, 2022

Despite this small flaw, the online phenomenon hit a new high in 2022. On February 1, The New York Times announced they bought the game for a "low" seven-figure sum.

Sharing the news, its creator Josh Wardle said he hopes the game will "initially remain," hinting there's potential for it to be moved behind a paywall.

"Since launching Wordle, I've been in awe of the response from everyone that has played," he wrote in the announcement.

"The game has gotten bigger than I ever imagined (which I suppose isn't that much of a feat given I made the game for an audience of 1)."