9+ Best Word Gifts to Get Your Wordle-Obsessed Partner for Valentine’s Day
For the love of letters.
At this point, the game Wordly needs virtually no introduction. It is a five-letter word-puzzle phenomenon that, over just a few weeks in early 2022, made Twitter a much more wholesome place to be: Think countless word nerds sharing their streaks and progress in the form of emoji squares. Although the game has recently been acquired by The New York Times and may not always be the free, minimalist online haven it is right now, this small stress-relieving balm has given us something fun and just-challenging-enough to look forward to each day.
If word games are your partner’s love language, these 10 clever word gifts will provide the only Valentine’s Day gifting inspiration you need. Nothing makes a spelling stickler, grammar geek, or etymology enthusiast happier than a gift that speaks directly to them (with perfect punctuation).
1. For Keeping Cozy
Wordle Cuffed Beanie Knitted Hat
Price: $22
Your favorite Wordle nerd can keep warm this winter with this sleek beanie, which subtly displays the iconic grid right on the front. We can only imagine how many nods of recognition they’ll receive upon wearing it out and about.
2. Vintage Vocab
WS Game Company Boggle Vintage Bookshelf Edition
Price: $34
Before there was Wordle, there was Boggle. Displaying a slightly different type of letter grid, this game of anagrams is about finding as many unique words as possible in just 3 minutes.
We love this version of the classic word game, which has the same look as the 1976 edition.
3. The Perfect Card
Wordle Valentine’s Day ‘Will You Be Mine’ Card
Price: $5
Never mind that this Valentine’s Day card isn’t playing by the Wordle rules. It’s cute as heck, and that’s all that matters!
The inside is blank, so you can come up with your own clever wordplay.
4. Never Not Editing
Engraved Key Chain
Price: $10
It’s a blessing and a curse to habitually edit everything you read. This keychain is the ideal word gift for grammarians who are always displaying the most admirable restraint.
5. But First, Wordle
Wordle Mug
Price: $10
There are some miraculous days where it takes them no time at all to solve Wordle … and some days, they’re sweating to find the right letter combo till the very last row.
This mug is a word gift that’ll get them properly caffeinated and ready for the next round.
6. Grammar Pop Quiz
STET! Dreyer’s English: A Game for Language Lovers, Grammar Geeks, and Bibliophiles
Price: $16
Whether they’re an actual copy editor or just follow a lot of them on Twitter, your word-loving partner is undoubtedly familiar with Benjamin Dreyer’s seminal grammar guide. But they may not be aware of this witty spin-off game!
STET! comprises 100 sentence cards that may or may not have a grammatical error in them. The first person to spot the mistake or correctly assert that the sentence is error-free wins the round.
7. Subtle Studs
Tiny Punctuation Stud Earrings
Price: $18
If they’re persnickety about punctuation, this word gift is both subtle and stylish enough to appeal to their sensibilities. This expressive set of studs gives some love to the interrobang.
8. For Tech-Savvy Fans
Kindle Paperwhite
Price: $140
OK, we know that the Kindle Paperwhite is a no-brainer word gift for dozens of reasons. But beyond its capability to hold thousands of titles in one sleek, color-temperature-adjustable, and waterproof device, it also has a feature called Word Wise.
With this function toggled on, the Kindle will preemptively underline and define words that the reader may not know. It’s a neat accessibility feature that helps keep the story moving without needing to pause to look something up.
9. For After-Hours Reading
Vekkia/LuminoLite Rechargeable Book Light
Price: $17
All word lovers should have their own book light to make late-night reading and puzzling a little easier on the eyes. This particular model makes a fantastic word gift because it’s rechargeable, long-lasting, and has three different brightness levels. I’ve been regularly using mine for years, and it’s still going strong!
The only catch is that I never attach it to a book — I either perch or clip it to a nearby surface and angle its bendy neck for a totally unobtrusive reading experience (for both myself and whoever might be nearby!).
10. For the Love of Logic
ColorKu
Price: $48
If your partner enjoys playing Wordle not because it’s a word game, but because they like puzzling through the logistics of spelling rules and vowel placement, Colorku is an alternative brain-teaser that’ll scratch that same itch. It’s similar to the satisfaction of getting the numbers of a Sudoku grid to add up.
This colorful game offers hundreds of different codes to crack and numerous levels of play, from kid-friendly to deceptively difficult.
