If you have ever tried playing the original English Wordle with German instincts, you know the frustration: you type LEBEN, and the game shakes its head because “LEBEN” is not in its English word list. German needed its own German Wordle game, and the community delivered. Today there is not one German Wordle game but several, each with its own word list, its own quirks, and its own loyal players.
The three names you will run into most often are 6mal5, Wördle (also spelled Wördl, at wordle.at), and the family of German Wordle clones that grew up around the original open-source code. They all follow the familiar formula — six tries, five letters, green-yellow-gray feedback — but they differ in the details that matter: how they handle umlauts, whether you can replay old puzzles, how streaks work, and how generous their word lists are.
This guide compares the main German Wordle games side by side so you can pick the one that fits the way you play.
What Makes a German Wordle Different From the English Original
Before comparing the games, it helps to understand why a German version is not just a translation. German brings its own complications to the five-letter format:
Umlauts. Ä, Ö, and Ü are distinct letters in German, and any serious German word game has to decide what to do with them. Some German Wordle clones include umlauts in their word lists and provide dedicated Ä/Ö/Ü keys on the keyboard. Others sidestep the issue entirely by excluding umlaut words from the answer list. A few treat an umlaut as its two-letter expansion (Ä as AE), which changes the letter math. How a game handles this single question tells you a lot about how carefully it was built for German.
The ß question. The sharp S (ß) almost never appears in a five-letter word in a position a Wordle game would accept, and most German clones simply leave it out of the keyboard. That is one simplification players rarely notice.
Compounds and word length. German loves long compound words, which means the pool of natural five-letter words is shaped differently than in English. Good German Wordle games curate their answer lists toward everyday vocabulary — words like APFEL, NACHT, or TRAUM — rather than obscure dictionary entries.
Capitalization. German nouns are capitalized, but Wordle-style games universally use uppercase tiles anyway, so this quirk disappears in practice.
Verb endings. A huge share of German five-letter words end in -EN (LEBEN, LESEN, SEHEN, GEHEN). This makes German Wordle strategically different from English Wordle: the letter E and the letter N carry enormous weight, and games with well-chosen word lists account for that.
If you are new to the German version entirely, start with our German Wordle how-to-play guide before worrying about which clone to choose.
The Contenders at a Glance
Here is the short version of how the main German Wordle games stack up:
| Feature | 6mal5 | Wördle (wordle.at) | German open-source clones (e.g., Wortsel, wortle.dev) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | German | German (Austrian-made) | German |
| Daily puzzle | Yes | Yes | Usually yes |
| Tries / letters | 6 tries, 5 letters | 6 tries, 5 letters | 6 tries, 5 letters |
| Umlaut keys on keyboard | Varies by version | Included | Varies |
| Archive / replay old puzzles | Some versions offer it | Limited | Several offer archive modes |
| Streak tracking | Yes | Yes | Varies |
| Shareable result grid | Yes | Yes, with hard-mode marker | Usually yes |
| Hard mode | In some versions | Indicated in shared results | Some offer strict variants |
| Unlimited practice mode | Sometimes | No (daily only) | Often yes |
No single row in that table should be treated as eternal — these are community projects and features change. But the pattern is stable: the more established games focus on a polished daily ritual, while the open-source clones tend to offer more modes and customization.
6mal5: The Community Favorite
6mal5 (the name literally means “6 times 5” — six tries at five letters) is one of the best-known German Wordle games, and for many players it is simply the German word game. It reproduces the original Wordle experience faithfully: one puzzle per day, the same for everyone, six attempts, and the familiar colored tile feedback.
What players like about 6mal5:
- A curated German word list. The answer list leans toward common, recognizable German vocabulary rather than dictionary rarities. You are more likely to see words like BLUME or FISCH than something you would need a Duden to confirm.
- The daily ritual. Like the original, there is exactly one puzzle per day. That constraint is the whole point — it gives players something to talk about and compare.
- Shareable results. The emoji grid (green, yellow, and white squares) copies to your clipboard so you can post your score without spoiling the word, exactly like the English original.
The main criticism of 6mal5, voiced in German forums, is the same one leveled at every curated word list: occasionally an answer feels obscure, or a perfectly good German word gets rejected as a guess because it is not in the accepted-guesses list. That tension between a “clean” answer list and a generous guess list exists in every Wordle clone, German or otherwise.
If you play 6mal5 daily, it is worth building a solid opening routine. Our list of the best German Wordle starting words was tested with German letter frequencies in mind.
Wördle (wordle.at): The Austrian Contender
Wördle — hosted at wordle.at and sometimes written “Wördl” — is the Austrian entry in the German Wordle space, and it has a devoted following. The .at domain is the giveaway: this is a German-language game built with Austrian players in mind, though its word list is standard German vocabulary that works for players in Germany and Switzerland too.
Wördle sticks closely to the classic formula: one word per day, six guesses, five letters. A few things distinguish it:
- Umlaut-friendly keyboard. The on-screen keyboard includes Ä, Ö, and Ü, which signals that umlaut words are genuinely part of the game rather than an afterthought.
- Hard-mode recognition. Wördle marks hard-mode victories in shared results — a completed game in hard mode gets an asterisk behind the score (for example, “Wördl 313 6/6*” with a fire emoji for the streak). That small detail tells you the developers take the competitive side of the game seriously.
- Streak display. Shared results include a streak counter, which feeds the same “don’t break the chain” motivation that made the original Wordle a habit.
Because Wördle is a smaller, regional project, its community has a clubhouse feel. German-language forums and chat groups share daily Wördle scores the way English speakers once shared Wordle scores in early 2022. If you enjoy the social side of the daily puzzle, that community energy is a genuine reason to pick Wördle.
One practical note: regional word lists can occasionally include a word that feels more Austrian than pan-German. Most players consider that a feature — it is a good way to pick up vocabulary you would not otherwise meet.
Wordle auf Deutsch and the Open-Source Clones
Beyond the two big names, a lively ecosystem of German Wordle games has grown up — many of them open source. These are worth knowing about because they are where the experimental features live:
Wortle (wortle.dev). A straightforward German Wordle game with the standard daily puzzle format. It is a good fallback if your main game is ever unreachable, and its word list is a useful second opinion when you disagree with another game’s vocabulary choices.
Wortsel. An open-source German Wordle game that goes further than most on features: it offers a strict hard mode (green letters locked in place, gray keys disabled, yellow letters barred from repeating a position), community statistics showing the global guess distribution for each solution, and even post-game efficiency scoring. If you find the standard game too easy and want the puzzle to fight back, this is the clone to try.
The GitHub family. Because the original Wordle’s mechanics were widely reimplemented, there are dozens of German forks on GitHub with small variations — different word lists, dark modes, color-blind palettes, and practice modes with unlimited puzzles. Several German clones offer archive modes that let you play through past days’ puzzles, which is the single most-requested feature the big names lack.
The trade-off with the smaller clones is polish and longevity. A one-person GitHub project can disappear or stop updating its word list, while 6mal5 and Wördle have the player base to stick around. A sensible approach: keep one established German Wordle game as your daily driver and use the experimental clones for practice or for features your main game lacks.
Head-to-Head: The Details That Matter
Word lists
Every German Wordle game maintains two lists: the answers (usually a few thousand common words) and the accepted guesses (a much larger list). The quality of the game lives or dies here.
- 6mal5 is known for a carefully pruned answer list that favors everyday words.
- Wördle uses a solid standard-German list with occasional regional flavor.
- Open-source clones vary wildly — some use raw dictionary dumps, which means you will occasionally lose to a word you have never seen, while others curate carefully.
If a game rejects your guess, it does not mean your German is wrong; it means the word is not in that game’s guess list. This happens to every player and is not worth tilting over.
Umlaut support
This is the great divider. Games with dedicated Ä/Ö/Ü keys treat umlauts as first-class letters, and umlaut answers (words like MÜCKE or BÄUME) can appear. Games without umlaut support exclude such words from answers entirely, which slightly shrinks the possibility space — a subtle strategic point, because it means you never need to spend a guess testing an umlaut.
Before committing to a game, check whether its keyboard shows umlaut keys. If it does not, you can safely ignore umlauts in your strategy. Our guide to German Wordle umlaut words covers the strategy for games that do include them.
Archives and replay
The original Wordle famously allowed exactly one puzzle per day with no way to replay old ones, and most German clones inherited that limitation. But several German clones offer archive modes — some let you step back through previous days, others offer an unlimited random-puzzle practice mode. If you are the kind of player who wants to binge ten puzzles on a Sunday, pick a clone with an archive or practice mode rather than fighting the daily limit.
Streaks and statistics
All the major German games track your current streak, your win rate, and your guess distribution. This is the psychological engine of the genre: once you have a 40-day streak, you will open the game on days you otherwise would not. Wördle’s streak display in shared results makes the streak social, which some players find motivating and others find stressful. Know which type you are.
Sharing
Every serious clone generates the spoiler-free emoji grid. This matters more than it sounds: the shared grid is how the community compares notes, and a game whose share format looks broken or confusing will feel lonely. 6mal5 and Wördle both produce clean, familiar share text.
The Social Side: Sharing Your German Wordle Game Scores
One underrated factor in choosing a German Wordle game is where its players hang out. The original Wordle became a phenomenon because of the shared emoji grid, and the German scene works the same way: daily scores get posted in messaging groups, forums, and social threads, and the game you play determines which conversations you can join.
6mal5 has the largest German-speaking player community, which means its daily word becomes a shared cultural moment — everyone wrestles with the same puzzle, and the “how many tries did it take you?” chat writes itself. Wördle’s community skews Austrian and is smaller but tight-knit; players there tend to know each other, and the hard-mode asterisk in shared results adds a light competitive edge. The open-source clones have the smallest social footprint — great for solitary practice, less useful if you want the watercooler effect.
If the social ritual matters to you, pick the German Wordle game your friends already play. A Wordle clone is only as fun as the people you compare grids with. If no one around you plays yet, 6mal5 is the easiest community to drop into.
Which German Wordle Game Should You Play?
There is no wrong answer, but here is how to decide:
Play 6mal5 if you want the most mainstream German Wordle game experience — the biggest community, the most familiar format, and a well-curated word list. It is the default choice for a reason.
Play Wördle if you like the Austrian community flavor, want umlaut keys as standard, or enjoy hard mode enough to want your shared results to show it off. It is also a good second daily puzzle if one game per day is not enough for you.
Play an open-source clone if you want practice modes, archives, statistics deep-dives, or experimental rules like strict hard mode. Wortsel in particular is worth a look if you have outgrown the standard difficulty.
Play more than one if you are serious about improving. Many strong players do two dailies — it doubles your practice and exposes you to different word lists, which sharpens your guessing instincts. Just be honest with yourself about whether the second puzzle is practice or procrastination.
Whichever you choose, the skills transfer. Letter frequencies, opener strategy, and pattern reading work the same in every German clone. Our German Wordle tips apply no matter which game is on your screen.
Tips for Switching Between German Wordle Games
If you play more than one German Wordle game, a few habits will save you confusion:
- Check the umlaut situation first. The fastest way to waste guesses is to assume umlaut support that is not there (or to ignore umlauts in a game that includes them). Glance at the keyboard before your first guess.
- Expect different guess lists. A word accepted in 6mal5 may be rejected in Wördle and vice versa. Keep a mental note of which of your favorite openers each game accepts.
- Do not mix up your dailies. If you play two German Wordle games, finish one completely before starting the other. Half-remembered yellow letters from the wrong puzzle are a classic unforced error.
- Compare answer styles. After a month of playing two games, you will notice each has a “house style” — one favors concrete nouns, another allows more verbs and adjectives. Adjust your mid-game guesses accordingly.
- Use archives to warm up. If your main game is daily-only, a clone with an archive mode is the perfect warm-up puzzle before your “real” attempt.
Key Takeaways
- 6mal5 is the most mainstream German Wordle game: one daily puzzle, a curated word list, and the biggest community.
- Wördle (wordle.at) is the Austrian contender with umlaut keys, streak sharing, and hard-mode recognition in shared results.
- Open-source German Wordle games like Wortsel and wortle.dev offer the experimental features — archive modes, practice puzzles, and strict hard mode — that the big names lack.
- Umlaut support is the single biggest difference between games: check the keyboard before you play, because it changes your strategy.
- Word lists differ between games, so a rejected guess says nothing about your German — it is just that game’s dictionary.
- Playing two games doubles your practice and exposes you to different word-list styles, which makes you a stronger guesser in both.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best German Wordle game?
For most players, 6mal5 is the best default choice: it has the largest community, a well-curated German word list, and the familiar daily format. Wördle (wordle.at) is the strongest alternative, especially if you want umlaut keys and hard-mode recognition. The “best” game ultimately depends on which features you value — archives, practice modes, and statistics live mostly in the smaller open-source clones.
Is 6mal5 the same as Wordle?
6mal5 is a German Wordle game that follows the same rules as the original Wordle — six tries to guess a five-letter word with green-yellow-gray feedback — but it is an independent German-language game with its own German word list. It is not affiliated with the New York Times version; it is a community-built adaptation for German players.
Do German Wordle games include umlauts?
It depends on the game. Wördle includes Ä, Ö, and Ü keys on its keyboard, which means umlaut words can appear. Other German clones exclude umlauts from their answer lists entirely. Check the on-screen keyboard: if you see umlaut keys, umlauts are in play; if not, you can ignore them in your strategy.
Can I play old German Wordle puzzles?
Some German clones offer archive modes that let you replay past daily puzzles, and several offer unlimited random-puzzle practice modes. The biggest names tend to be daily-only, so if replays matter to you, look to the open-source clones.
Why was my German word rejected as a guess?
Every Wordle-style game has a fixed list of accepted guesses. If your word is not on that game’s list — because it is a plural, a conjugated verb form, a proper noun, or simply obscure — the game will reject it. This varies between games: a word accepted in 6mal5 might be rejected in Wördle. It is a dictionary limitation, not a judgment on your German.
Is there a German Wordle with unlimited puzzles?
Yes — several of the smaller open-source German clones include practice or random-puzzle modes with no daily limit. These are ideal for warming up before your daily attempt or for binge practice when you are learning strategy. The major daily games generally do not offer this, by design.