How Solvers Keep Their Longest Wordle and Crossword Streaks

Meet the players who persist through childbirth or intense athletic feats to ensure they solve Wordle and other puzzles every day.

Rebecca Thompson swam nearly 29 miles around Manhattan in 9 hours and 21 minutes, applying Desitin to protect her skin from the sun. This feat was part of her training for long-distance swimming, but it also coincided with her daily routine of solving Wordle and crosswords. Thompson has maintained a streak of solving these puzzles every day since January 2022, and she uses technology to ensure she never misses a day, even during intense athletic training. Her dedication is matched by other solvers who use various strategies to keep their streaks alive.

The dedication of Wordle and crossword solvers like Thompson has a direct impact on the revenue of companies like The New York Times, which owns the rights to these puzzles. The Times generates significant revenue from subscriptions to its puzzle services, with millions of users paying monthly fees to access the puzzles. This revenue stream is crucial for the company's financial health, and the streaks maintained by solvers like Thompson contribute to the loyalty and retention of these subscribers. As a result, the company has a vested interest in maintaining the engagement of its puzzle-solving community.

The phenomenon of Wordle and crossword solvers maintaining long streaks is part of a broader trend of people using technology to track and maintain daily habits. This trend has its roots in the early 2000s, when online communities and forums began to form around shared interests like puzzle-solving. Over time, the rise of social media and mobile apps has made it easier for people to track and share their progress, creating a sense of community and accountability around daily habits. Insiders in the puzzle industry know that this trend has significant implications for the way people engage with media and entertainment.

In the coming weeks, The New York Times is expected to announce new features and updates to its puzzle services, aimed at maintaining the engagement of its community of solvers. On September 15, the company will release a new app update that includes enhanced tracking features and social sharing tools, allowing solvers to more easily share their progress and compete with others. Interestingly, research has shown that the sense of community and competition created by these tools can have a profound impact on human behavior, with some solvers reporting that their daily puzzle habit has improved their cognitive function and overall well-being.