Wordle is becoming a primetime TV quiz show, because the ultimate five-letter word is 'money'

The puzzle game Wordle, onetime viral sensation and now a daily fixture of the New York Times, is becoming a gameshow that will be broadcast in both the UK and US.

Broadcaster NBC is behind the TV adaptation, which will be filmed in Manchester, England, and hosted by Savannah Guthrie, who currently presents the network's morning show Today. US chat show host Jimmy Fallon's production company, Electric Hot Dog, will co-produce the series.

Fallon said he felt "very honoured to be working with Savannah Guthrie on this show," adding that Guthrie "has that rare combination of intelligence, charm, and warmth that makes everyone feel instantly welcome.

"And she obviously knows how to host a show. I am super proud and happy and I think we developed a solid game for prime-time."

The exact format that the show will take is yet to be revealed, though it will presumably need to come up with variations on the original game's simple premise of finding a five-letter word in six guesses. Wordle does already have the competitive element of which player has the fewest guesses before a correct answer, but the basic idea will need some bulking out to sustain a half-hour light entertainment show.

NBC has announced some details. Players will be competing for a cash prize, and the show will use the Wordle name, aesthetic and typeface.

Wordle's filming was delayed after the disappearance of Guthrie's elderly mother, Nancy Guthrie, in February. Savannah Guthrie took an extended leave of absence at the time, before returning to the Today show in April. The 84 year-old remains missing.

The puzzle game was created by Welsh developer Josh Wardle in 2021, who after its breakout success sold Wordle to the New York Times for a seven-figure sum in 2022. Wardle originally intended the game as an idle amusement for his girlfriend, and at first it was titled "Mr Bugs' Wordy Nugz" before he decided to make the name a play on his own surname.

More recently, Wardle created the "tricky wordplay game" Parsewords, which takes its inspiration from cryptic crosswords, and told the Sunday Times "I haven't played [Wordle] since the day I sold it."

Casting for the first season of Wordle is now open, with the show due to premiere in 2027.