WORDLE

Two years ago, Bennett saw an opening at “The New York Times” for an associate puzzle editor.

“I just took a chance,” Bennett said. “I loved my job at Math Reviews. I was really comfortable there, and I thought I might retire there, but I thought, ‘Well, it’s now or never.’”

She was told when she was hired that “The New York Times” had her in mind to eventually be the editor of a new game. A year later, they acquired Wordle and made Bennett the editor. The game is currently set up with words to go through 2027.

Bennett spent months studying how people were reacting to the game’s daily words. Some words were offensive or ill-timed.

“Words actually do matter,” Bennett said. “And a word can have a different significance, a different effect depending on when it’s run. So I spend a lot of time studying them.”

Right now, what takes up a large majority of her time is “The Crossword.” Each week, the associate editors get around 200 crossword submissions. Bennett helps narrow them down to seven.

“We have to say no to a lot of great submissions,” Bennett said. “Sometimes there is a good idea that isn’t in a grid that we can use, but we’re willing to work with them to enhance their skills, so that they can make a good grid for a good idea.”

Currently, Wordle takes up only about 10 percent of her time, but she pours her heart into researching each word.

Not all Wordle players were thrilled about having an editor for the game, especially when it came to Bennett running a few thematic words around Thanksgiving. The publicity and scrutiny of the job can be difficult.

“That was a little bit hard on my ego,” Bennett said. “But it was just a passing blip like so much [on] social media is these days. It didn’t damage anything.”

Her family and friends have been extremely supportive, and Bennett is getting a lot of publicity and media support.

While she was out getting shoes at Mast in Ann Arbor, the associate helping her pick shoes looked up at her and said, “Oh, I just figured out who you are. You’re the Wordle lady!” Just a few years ago, Bennett didn’t think that she would be recognized in public, but she’s grateful for this role.

“It’s a privilege to be doing what I love for a living and to be doing something that brings joy to so many people,” Bennett said. “Having spent years doing stuff that I almost love, I know everyone can’t do this. I did have a long journey, and I worked hard and earned it, but lots of people do that, and they don’t get here. So I’m just really conscious of that. It’s an incredible privilege.”

For Bennett, the best part of her job is seeing the impact that words can have.

“I love the unit of one word,” she said. “I love the power of a single word.”

3

2,305 possible answers

12,545 million players worldwide allowed guesses

SALET best word to start

INGREDIENTS:

1. Powdered Sugar

2. Egg Whites*

3. Almond Flour

4. Salt

5. Sugar

6. Vanilla Extract

7. Butter

Powdered sugar

Almond flour

*what to do with yolks: pasta dough, custard, icecream

Gradually add granulated sugar until stiff peaks and then add vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Pipe macaron batter into circles atop parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Tap baking sheet on a flat surface and let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.