Like all the muscles in your body, it’s important to keep your brain in tip-top shape. We’ve entered a digital era saturated with generative AI, addicting algorithms, and instant gratification that all feel like junk food for your mind (if you aren’t using them mindfully), and it’s terribly easy to turn off your brain and let the flow take you wherever the infinite scroll leads. That’s why I’ve begun to rely on two very important brain exercises: reading and puzzles.

They’re both ‘slow’ activities when you compare them to a jarring social media feed — especially when I’m reading on my Kindle Paperwhite. But sometimes my brain itches to solve a problem, not just play witness to characters working through their own on my E Ink screen. While I love a good jigsaw puzzle, I don’t have enough counter space in my little apartment to keep up with the activity — let alone self-control to walk away if there are only a few dozen pieces left to place.

That’s where short (but difficult) mini-games swoop in. Every day, I play the New York Times games — specifically Wordle. Wordle is a simple challenge where you have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, and it grew a cult following back in 2022 for good reason: it’s hard, but addicting. And because there’s only one round per day, it’s a low-commitment challenge that scratches the itch in my brain perfectly.

Most people play on their phones, but even picking up my phone on a workday invites the temptation to jump on Instagram, TikTok, or other social media time thieves. Luckily, I stumbled upon a way to play it on my least overstimulating device: a Kindle e-reader. Here’s how.

Storage

16GB

Brand

Amazon

Screen Size

7-inch E-ink (300ppi)

Connections

USB-C

How to play Wordle on your Kindle

Using ReKindle

Wordle itself isn’t built into your Kindle’s software — it’s owned by the New York Times, and Amazon didn’t overload its e-readers with distracting apps or features that could take away from a reading session. However, all the latest Kindle models (from the basic to the Scribe) do have a simple web browser you can use to quickly look something up. It’s not a feature I use very often, since the response rate on Kindles isn’t nearly as instantaneous as it is on a traditional LCD device like a phone or tablet, but a special website called ReKindle.ink changed that.

ReKindle is a free, browser-based dashboard made specifically for use on Kindles, Kobos, and other e-readers with E Ink displays. It’s open-sourced and lets you access an assortment of tools, games, and other apps you wouldn’t normally have access to on a minimalist tablet. Because it’s browser-based and accessible with Wi-Fi on your Kindle, you don’t have to go through any complicated jailbreaking processes or risk bricking your device.

While there are many delightful apps ReKindle has to offer, my favorite is the built-in Wordle shortcut. Here’s how to get to it:

1. From your Kindle’s home screen, tap the stoplight menu (three dots) in the top-right corner.
2. Tap Web Browser in the dropdown.
3. Type rekindle.ink into the URL search bar (you can access it on your computer or phone for a preview, too).
4. Choose Games from the menu on the left.
5. Tap Wordle (which is the last option).

If you’ve played Wordle before, the pop-up window on your screen will be familiar. However, depending on which Kindle model you’re using, you may have to use the scrolling bar on the right side of the window to access the third row of keys, which includes the Enter and backspace buttons. Luckily, as soon as you’ve guessed your first word, you can leave the scroller at the bottom to access all the keys.

Because ReKindle accounts for the grayscale most Kindle users have, you won’t find the classic green or yellow color indicators you’d see on your phone or computer. Instead, here’s how to tell if your letters are in the word but not in the correct spot, in the word and in the correct spot, or not in the word at all:

• Faded gray letter: Not in the word
• Double-outlined and still black letter: In the word, not in the correct spot
• Black highlighted box, white letter: In the word, in the correct spot

You’ll also notice two tabs at the top of the pop-up: Daily and Unlimited. The daily tab is the classic NYT Wordle with the same answer you and the rest of the world are trying to figure out. But if you can’t get enough, the Unlimited tab lets you play against as many words as you’d like.