better outcomes. >>> throughout the morning, our susan spencer is all about fun and games. first up, word play. >> reporter: for millions of americans, morning means breakfast, coffee, and most importantly, wordle. >> i mean, my wordle is usually done in the first ten minutes of consciousness. >> yeah, some people play our puzzles the minute they come out. >> reporter: everdeen mason is the editorial director of the "new york times" games. >> this has a good amount of space. >> reporter: zoe bell is its executive producer. what do people think when you tell them what you do for a living? >> it is a cocktail party winner. >> reporter: wordle, the brainchild of software engineer josh wardle, was acquired by "the new york times" in 2022. a year later, it was played 4.8 billion times. >> tens of millions of people are playing every day. >> reporter: okay. let's see what happens. >> oh! >> reporter: absolutely nothing. that's the worst possible result. if you are late to the game, here's how it works. e each day there is a five-letter mystery word. you get six chances to figure