How many did you do it in today?

It’s the question millions of people are now asking before they even say good morning and is normally met with “I haven’t done it yet, so don’t tell me”.

The ‘it’ in question is the online word game ‘Wordle’ which appears to have taken the world by storm and spawned WhatsApp groups galore as well as a social media frenzy of players posting and comparing their daily scores.

The game, which is free to access and was launched in October, is simple to play but, as devotees will testify, often infuriating to complete.

You get six attempts in which to guess a five-letter word, putting letters into a five-square grid. If the square turns grey it means the selected letter does not appear in the word; if it turns yellow you have selected a correct letter but in the wrong position; if it turns green you have picked the correct letter in the correct position.

Nobody gets five greens on the first go (surely?) but if you are lucky with your picks getting the word at the second attempt can be done.

Anecdotal research sees most players guessing correctly on their third or fourth attempts.

The game is the brainchild of Josh Wardle, who created it for his puzzle-loving partner. The Welsh software developer who lives in Brooklyn, told The Guardian he felt overwhelmed by the response, with an estimated 2m+ players now taking part.

“It going viral doesn’t feel great to be honest. I feel a sense of responsibility for the players. I feel I really owe it to them to keep things running and make sure everything’s working correctly.”

He believes the secret to its success is down to its simplicity and accessibility.

“Even though I play it every day, I still feel a sense of accomplishment when I do it: it makes me feel smart, and people like that,” he added.