If you are having trouble with Tuesday’s Wordle, then you might be pleased to hear that the game’s inventor often struggles to solve it himself.

Josh Wardle, a software engineer, came up with the concept during the COVID-19 pandemic as an activity for him and his partner to enjoy. In October 2021, he released it to the public, and just three months later, The New York Times acquired it for an undisclosed amount of money.

“Well, I did create Wordle and I’m not very good at it!” Wardle told Newsweek in 2022. “I’m afraid I’m not really the best.”

“[My partner] and I play it on the couch together each morning. She will consistently get it in three goes, which is way, way better than I can ever hope to achieve,” Wardle continued. “I normally need at least 4 or 5 attempts.”

The rules of the game are simple, which is part of its appeal. Players must come up with the five-letter word in six attempts or fewer by using color-coded clues. Green boxes reveal the letter is correct and in the correct place; yellow boxes reveal the letter is in the word, though in the wrong place; and gray boxes show the letter is not in the word at all.

Erhan Aslan, who teaches applied linguistics at the University of Reading in England, previously shared with Newsweek why Wordle is so popular.

“Word-based puzzles and games have been around for quite a while, and they are nothing new. What is different or new today is how and where people play games,” Aslan said. “Before the digital age, word-puzzle games, particularly crossword puzzles, would usually appear in newspapers and magazines. People would do them while waiting for the bus or train, in the toilet, or just to kill time.”

Aslan continued: “In today’s digital age, like many other things, many simple games like Wordle can be played online. I think that Wordle gains its popularity not only from its simple rules but also from its virality on social-media platforms as a result of people sharing/posting their scores to demonstrate a sense of accomplishment and validation.”

‘Wordle’ #1,340, Clues for Tuesday, February 18

Newsweek‘s clues for today’s Wordle are:

Hint #1: It starts with the letter “i.”

Hint #2: The answer has a repeated letter.

Hint #3: There are two consonants.

Hint #4: There are two syllables.

Hint #5: It rhymes with “windy.”

‘Wordle’ #1,340, Answer for Tuesday, February 18

The answer to today’s Wordle is “indie.”

According to Merriam-Webster, the term is defined as, “One that is independent, especially: an unaffiliated record or movie production company,” or “something (such as a record or film) produced by an indie.”

Great work if you got today’s Wordle correct, but don’t fret if you didn’t. Wordle is released at midnight in your local time zone, which means you’ll get another chance to play on Wednesday.

While you wait, why not try one of these other popular word-based games?