The Original Wordle

Abstract

The article calls attention to an ancient Ugaritic bilingual word game, written c. 1300 b.c.e., in which the correct response requires rearranging the given letters to create a sensible word or name. But since the word/name is actually in Hurrian, a second step is necessary, namely, to render the Hurrian into its Ugaritic equivalency. So while not quite the original Wordle, this short ancient text reminds us of the enduring allure of word games in literate cultures