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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsStrikle was a strike-themed Wordle alternative made in December 2022 so people could keep guessing words without using The New York Times’ platform during a 24-hour walkout. It was created by Chris Pitts, an Austin member of AFSCME Local 1624—not by New York Times employees. The New York Times Tech Guild later linked to Strikle in a separate collection of strike games published in 2024.
What was Strikle?
Strikle adapted Wordle’s familiar word-guessing format into a show of solidarity with the New York Times Guild’s December 8, 2022 walkout. The Guild asked readers to avoid Times platforms for a day, including with the appeal: “Read local news. Make something from a cookbook. Break your Wordle streak.” The Associated Press, in a report carried by The Guardian, said more than 1,100 employees were expected to take part; that was an announced expected count, not a final attendance tally.
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Chris Pitts, an Austin member of AFSCME Local 1624 and an outside supporter, made Strikle for the walkout. He told Vice that he had heard Wordle fans were willing to give up their streaks in solidarity. “This got me thinking about how it would be cool to create a Wordle alternative so that people could still play without crossing the NYT picket line.” He also wanted the game to draw attention to the strike.
How was it different from Wordle?
| Question | Strikle | Wordle |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | A strike-specific alternative intended to let players keep guessing while avoiding Times platforms and to raise awareness of the 2022 walkout. | The New York Times’ daily word game. |
| Creator and affiliation | Created in 2022 by Chris Pitts, an AFSCME Local 1624 member in Austin and an outside supporter. The Guild’s later Guild Builds page says its linked games are made by union members and supporters and are not affiliated with The New York Times Company. | A New York Times product. |
| Streaks and continuity | Current functionality, daily puzzle updates, and streak support are not established by the available reporting. | Engadget reported that the Tech Guild’s 2024 worker-made games would not preserve a player’s Wordle streak. |
Vice’s contemporaneous report said the December 8 launch-day answer was “SCABS.” Solving it triggered the union song “Solidarity Forever” and a pro-union thank-you message. Those are details of the reported launch-day puzzle, not confirmation of how Strikle works today.
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Why does Strikle appear in the 2024 Guild Builds collection?
The link reflects a later strike, not a different account of who made Strikle. In November 2024, the New York Times Tech Guild held its own strike and asked readers not to play Times games such as Wordle and Connections. Engadget reported that the Guild released its own games during that action. Its November 6 post introduced them with: “In the great tradition of strike publications, we offer our tech-worker version.”
The Guild’s Guild Builds page lists Strikle alongside games from the 2024 collection and says: “Games are built by union members and supporters and are not affiliated with the New York Times company. Please pardon any bugs.” That disclaimer describes the collection; it does not mean NYT employees created Pitts’s original 2022 game. Fast Company also reported that Strikle was originally made by an external supporter. Engadget put the Tech Guild’s representation at more than 600 unionized tech workers during the 2024 strike.
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Can you play Strikle now?
The Guild Builds page currently links to Strikle, but a link alone does not establish that the game still works or receives new puzzles. The available contemporaneous reporting does not give a Strikle player count, so there is no supported figure for how many people played it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A physical Wordle game is a separate option
For people looking for an offline, social word game rather than a strike-specific alternative, Hasbro’s licensed Wordle: The Party Game (item F8348) is a separate product. Hasbro describes it for two to four players ages 14 and up, with dry-erase boards and markers and classic, fast, timed, and team modes. It is not Strikle and is not a way to support the striking workers.
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