Want more games like Wordle? Feel that your Filipino vocabulary skills are great? Then test it out in Saltong, Wordle’s Filipino edition.
Related: 9 Filipino-Made Video Games That Are Worth The Download
First, there was Dalgona coffee. Then came trying to make sourdough bread and unleashing the plantito and plantita in us. And now we have Wordle. With time spent at home these days, people have been looking for news ways to pass the time. And internet-based word game Wordle is the latest trend that has been taking over social media, particularly Twitter. If you’ve been on Twitter within the past few weeks, then you might have come across rows of green, gray, and yellow squares with a caption like “Wordle 223 4/6” or “Wordle 209 5/6” on your feed. This all comes from the game.
WORDLE IS TAKING OVER THE INTERNET
Wordle was created in October 2021 by Josh Wardle. Initially, the game was only played by Josh and his friends before more and more people started playing as well. As 2022 began, the game became viral and soon, players from around the world joined in on the newest craze. In Wordle, players have to guess a five-letter English within six tries. The goal is to guess the word before your tries are over. The less tries you use, the better.
Everyone is given the same word to guess, with a new one on each succeeding day. To help you guess, the game offers clues through the color of the boxes. Green means you have the correct letter. Yellow means that the letter is correct, but in the wrong place. Gray, meanwhile, indicates that the letter isn’t present in any spot. Once you completed the game, you are encouraged to share your results on Twitter for others to see and try.
Wordle has attracted attention not just from crossword puzzle or word game fans, but from the general public as well thanks to its communal aspect. Seeing and comparing how your friends did to you can admittedly be exciting. Plus, it’s also a simple way to exercise your brain and pass the time. But if you’re looking for something a bit more local, you can actually try one. It’s called Saltong, a self-described “Filipino clone” of Wordle.
SALTONG, WORLDE’S FILIPINO CLONE
Created by Carl de Guia, a University of the Philippines graduate and application development lead at Accenture, Saltong was released on January 14, 2022. It is similar to Wordle in many ways except for how you have to guess Tagalog words instead of English words. A combination of the words salita and bugtong, Saltong is web-based and can be played both on mobile and desktop. All the words used in Saltong are sourced from the Tagalog Dictionary.
Aside from the usual five-letter word, Saltong also offer a “Mini” version, which is a four letter word in five tries and a “Max” version, which is a seven letter word in eight tries. And if you really want to test your skills, you can try Saltong Hex, a self-described “clone of the NYT Spelling Bee.” So, if you’re looking to sharpen your Tagalog vocabulary, give Saltong a try. And if you are looking for something a bit more LGBTQIA+ focused, then you can also check out Queerdle, aka the “yassification of wordle.”
