Get free treats, discounts if you solve the 1,000th Wordle puzzle this week

The New York Times is celebrating its 1,000th Wordle with a big party, and you can cash in on the occasion.

On Friday, Mar. 15, the publication will be "rolling out the green and yellow and white carpet for a celebration that's as colorful as Wordle's iconic tiles, inspired by past five-letter Wordle solutions" in honor of its 1,000th Wordle.

"Players will be invited to experience a little extra delight when all their tiles turn green," said NYT in a press release. "Whether you’re a daily Wordle player or new to the game, all you have to do is solve the 1,000th Wordle to join the celebration in-person or virtually for a special treat."

Players who solve the 1,000th Wordle will be awarded special treats and freebies and "can join the celebration in-person at different locations in New York City or virtually," said the NYT in a press release.

Here are the giveaways up for grabs.

Free giveaways, discounts for Wordlers in New York City

• Tompkins Square Bagels: First 100 Wordle solvers can get a free bagel from all locations between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
• Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop: The first 100 solvers can score a limited-edition green and yellow donut between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.
• Joe's Pizza: The first 100 solvers can grab a free pizza slice between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. from participating locations including 7 Carmine Street, East 14th Street, 1435 Broadway, 124 Fulton Street and 216 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn.
• The Strand: Wordlers can pick up a new story and 50% off select NYT bestseller books from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at The Strand's Union Square's location. (Offer is only valid while supplies last.)
• Free drinks from NYC-area bars: Superbueno (for the first 15 solvers from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.), Talea Taprooms (for the first 100 solvers at all locations from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.), The Dead Rabbit (Irish Coffees for the first 100 solvers from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.), Sugar Monk (for the first 20 solvers from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.) and Dear Irving Hudson (for the first 25 solvers from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
• Caveat: The first 125 people can use the answer to the 1,000th Wordle puzzle as a code on caveat.nyc to redeem a 20% discount on any shows from Mar. 15 to Mar. 22.
• Littlefield: First 160 people to email [email protected] with the answer to the 1,000th Wordle puzzle starting at noon on Mar. 15 with the subject line “WORDLE 1000" will get a 50% discount to any show between Mar. 15 and Mar. 22. Entries are limited to only 1 per person and a total of 9 shows included in the offer.
• Empire State Building: New York's iconic landmark will light up in the Wordle colors at 7 p.m. on Mar. 14. Those who join NYT on the 86th floor will receive free party favors, including Wordle-themed totes and hats, while supplies last.
• MoMA: More than a 1,000 Wordlers can get a free trial three-month membership using the answer of 1,000th Wordle as a code on their website between Mar. 15 and Mar. 27, while supplies last.
• Brooklyn Botanical Gardens: Users who show their solved puzzles at the entrance can receive complimentary admission to the gardens. The offer is limited to the first 5,000 visitors on Mar. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
• Film Forum: The first 50 solvers to share the answer to the 1,000th Wordle puzzle in person at the Film Forum Box office on Mar. 15 from 12 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. will receive $50 off on $125 annual membership. Entry is limited to 1 per person.
• The Metropolitan Opera: Wordlers can receive a 20% discount offer for select performances through the remainder of the 2023–24 season, plus a 3-month free trial to their online streaming service, Met Opera on Demand.
• Brooklyn Cyclones field: The first two people to submit the answer to the 1,000th Wordle puzzle starting at noon on March 15th will get a premium ocean-view luxury suite for 12 people with all-inclusive food and soft drinks at the Brooklyn Cyclones at Maimonides Park. The game date will be determined later depending on suite availability. Entry is limited to 1 per person and is open for U.S. residents only.
• A chance to see how the newspaper gets made, with a behind-the-scenes tour of the New York Times Print Plant.

To unlock the prizes, Wordlers will need to solve the Mar. 15 Wordle and use the answer as a code. Further details on caps and limitations are available on the NYT website.

Gifts for Wordlers across the U.S.

For Wordlers in and outside of New York City, the game has partnered with several brands to celebrate its 1,000th Wordle with special discounts and giveaways.

• Duolingo: The first 1,000 people who use the answer to the 1000th Wordle puzzle on March 15 as a promotion code will receive 1-month extended free trial of Super Duolingo.
• Headspace: Headspace is offering a 60-day free trial to those who use the 1000th Wordle puzzle answer as a discount code at headspace.com/code. The code will be valid from March 15 to March 29th and is for new members only.
• Uber: Use the 1,000th Wordle puzzle answer and add 1000 as a discount code on the Uber app for 15% off (up to $8) on a Comfort Electric trip.
• Wilson: Use the 1000th Wordle puzzle answer as a discount code on wilson.com for 10% off Racquet Sports. Code is valid from 1:01 a.m. ET on Mar. 15 to 12:59 a.m. ET on Apr. 14.
• Recess Pickleball: Use the 1,000th Wordle puzzle answer as a code to redeem up to 20% off recesspickleball.com. The code is valid only till supplies last.
• Joe’s Pizza: You can also get a free pizza slice from select Joe’s Pizza in NYC, Miami, Ann Arbor and Cambridge.

What is Wordle? How are the words chosen?

Wordle is a widely popular word game created by Josh Wardle, a software engineer in Brooklyn, as gift for his partner. It was acquired by the New York Times in January 2022 and in November 2022, Tracy Bennett, who joined the Times as an associate puzzle editor in 2020, was appointed its editor.

"I'm over the moon," Bennett told USA TODAY Friday about the approaching celebration. "Excited. I love Wordle and its continued popularity."

Bennett told USA TODAY that the word for the 1,000th Wordles has already been decided, since words for the game are decided up to 6 weeks in advance. Explaining the process behind the word selection, Bennett said that the words are selected at random, using a random number generator, from a word bank that has enough words to run the game through 2027.

"We already have like a database of words that Josh Wardle created when he created the game," said Bennett. "And I've been adding a few words. I think I've added about 25 words to the list so far.

Once a week's worth of words are selected, Bennett will review the words to assess their difficulty levels, "or [if] there are too many clusters of like nouns or like words that start with the same letter, or things like that".

She then also looks up the meanings of the words to ensure that they are not offensive or problematic.

"I will maybe take some words out and put other ones so that I have a nice variety throughout the week," said Bennett.

Once the words are selected, they are then run by a group of "testers," who give their feedback on the words and share how long it took them to solve the Wordle.

"We have a group of about six test solvers that test it for us to make sure that it's solvable and people are enjoying the words," said Bennett. "That's one of the reasons we [work] six weeks ahead, so that we can have that process built in."

Bennett, who resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said that she will be flying to New York for the celebrations and to celebrate the 1,000th Wordle with her colleagues when it goes live this Friday.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @saman_shaafiq7.