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You can automatically turn Wordle results into a cool ‘townscape’ because humans are awesome

If you haven’t checked out Wordle, I’m sorry to tell you you’re missing out on a delightful cultural phenomenon. You don’t have to play it to appreciate it—word games aren’t everyone’s cup of tea—but you should at least know why you keep seeing these weird rows of gray, yellow and green boxes filling up your…

By

Annie Reneau

Wordle, townscape
Photo credit: @DanDanikov/Twitter – Transform your Wordle results into a cute "townscape" with a simple tool.

If you haven’t checked out Wordle, I’m sorry to tell you you’re missing out on a delightful cultural phenomenon. You don’t have to play it to appreciate it—word games aren’t everyone’s cup of tea—but you should at least know why you keep seeing these weird rows of gray, yellow and green boxes filling up your social media feeds.

First of all, Wordle itself is fun. The play is easy, but the puzzle can be challenging. The basic gist is you have six tries to guess the day’s five-letter word. With each try, you’re told which of your letters are correct and if any of those correct letters are in the correct spot. After you play, you can share your results without giving away the word at all.

But the gameplay isn’t actually the most appealing thing about it.

Wordle is simple in all the best ways. There’s no app. No ads. No purchases. No registrations or logins. No leveling up. You can only play once a day, and it takes just a few minutes. The game doesn’t even have its own dedicated domain—it’s just a page on a guy’s personal website.

It was created by a software engineer named Josh Wardle for his partner who loves word games, and he decided to make it public a few months ago. He’s not trying to make money off of it. He even decided not to put a link to the game in the results sharing function because it looked cluttery. The wholesome simplicity is refreshing, and the capitalismlessness of it is a big part of its appeal.

Wordle results sharing is actually one of the best things about it.

Some people have poked fun at—or expressed annoyance with—everyone sharing their Wordle results. But hear me out—we all want this. We really do.

It’s exceedingly rare that we all get to enjoy something together that isn’t pushed by some big corporation or doesn’t have the purpose of plucking away our pennies. The organic growth of the game’s popularity is simply delightful, as is the fact that there’s this unspoken social contract that people don’t give away the day’s Wordle word.

For the most part, people are miraculously on the same page here. Don’t ruin the game for anyone else by sharing the actual answer. You can share your results, but not the answer. A Wordle spoiler trollbot tried to ruin the fun, but that account was met with utter derision. In a world where everything feels increasingly complicated and chaotic, people want this nice thing.

One of the great things about humans is that, despite a handful of miserable folks who want to ruin things, there are lots of people who want to make good things just for the sake of making good things. In that vein, some people have figured out a way to make Wordle results sharing even more fun.

A couple of people started sharing their Wordle results in the form of townscapes from the Chrome browser version of Townscaper by Oskar Stalberg, which end up looking like this:

Delightful, right?

Then, someone else created a tool that automatically transforms your results into one of these townscapes, with options that allow you to create four different townscape styles.

You can create the townscape by going to this link in a Chrome browser and pasting either a tweet with Wordle results in it or pasting your actual Wordle results (which are copied to your clipboard when you click “share” from the Wordle site) directly into the box. Click “Parse,” then “Generate,” then see the link at the bottom to view your townscape. You can alter the results by clicking one or both of the boxes that say “Fill gaps on walls” and “Remove gaps on ground.”

Fair warning: Townscaper is a time trap.

I feel the need to add a word of warning here. One of the great things about Wordle is that it doesn’t suck away your time like many games do, because you can only play once a day. But if you put your results into the Townscaper tool, there’s nothing to prevent you from embellishing it with some fun add-ons. It’s ridiculously easy to do and it makes a satisfying plunking noise when you add things, which can get a little addicting.

Here’s a screenshot of my Wordle results from this morning with a few add-ons, which only took about 30 seconds. So. Fun.

Well done, awesome people. Maybe if we channel this same creative energy and desire for simple, wholesome goodness into more areas of human existence, we could solve more of the problems that plague us.

In the meantime, keep Wordling and sharing, folks. Let’s lean into this good thing while it lasts.

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    A trans man beautifully harmonizes to the song ‘Kiss Me’ alongside a 2018 clip of himself

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    “A duet with my past self”

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    When asked what it’s like singing with his former self, Holloway seemed to feel at peace:

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    Alongside his career as a musician, Holloway also speaks professionally about mental health advocacy and LGBTQ rights. On the Raise the Bar website, where he is listed as one of its motivational speakers, the organization shares the importance of these side-by-side videos: “In posting these videos, he spreads the message that it is okay to accept your old self, as it is all part of the journey that makes you who you are now.”

    Upworthy spoke with Holloway, who shared how he feels about transitioning and music in general.

    “For awhile, I thought I had to leave that version of myself behind. But over time, I realised there was something really beautiful about letting both versions of me exist together,” he said. “So instead of erasing my past, I started creating duets with old vocal recordings and videos I had. Almost like having a conversation across time with younger me. So healing. How many people ever have that opportunity? I want other people to know it’s okay to embrace who you are – the whole story.”

    He says his favorite duet so far is “Yellow” by Coldplay.

    “This song came out when I was growing up and confused about myself,” he said. “I recorded it on a rooftop in 2018. Then went back to the same place in 2026 to film again, totally free and transitioned. And the merging of those two people together, to me, is beautiful. I love how the lyrics mean something totally different in this context. ‘Your skin and bones turn into something beautiful. I swam across. I jumped across for you. You know I love you so.’ All of it.”

    He added, “My dream is that Coldplay will see it and see how much their song helped heal me. And one day, we will play it together with the old version of me projected behind us to sing it too. In a huge stadium, of course. I want to spread the message of acceptance and love as far as we can.”

    “Traditional songwriting” is where he draws most of his influence: “People who tell stories. People who write to move others. Dolly Parton, David Bowie, Coldplay, Paul Simon, Tracy Chapman. Iconic.”

    He plans to keep telling those stories.

    “I’m a totally independent artist, and this year, I’m creating an album in public and allowing my fans to make decisions along the way,” he said. “I make one bit of content a day and release one song a month. Eventually, it will all come together into an album. And my fans will know they helped bring it to life. So everyone is welcome to come and get involved!”

    Holloway is also releasing a documentary later this year that shares more of his story. “It shows an up close and personal journey of my transition from the lens of being a singer who risked losing their voice,” he said.

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    Teen patients at St. Jude celebrate special prom night with glam squads and a red carpet

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    The night had a special theme: On Cloud 9. It was inspired by the hospital’s partner, country singer Megan Moroney, who recently released a new album titled Cloud 9.

    “It gives us all a hope to just be normal and to just have an amazing time,” attendee and St. Jude patient Presli told Upworthy.

    St Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients walk the red carpet for the the annual Teen Formal on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. St. Jude helps their patient enjoy milestones such as the end of the school year tradition for high school students.

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    “It’s just overwhelming seeing her coming out of that limo and walking that red carpet,” Presli’s mom told Upworthy. “She had so much confidence.”

    St Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients walk the red carpet for the the annual Teen Formal on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. St. Jude helps their patient enjoy milestones such as the end of the school year tradition for high school students.

    Guests invited by patients also got the star treatment. Moroney surprised attendees as they got ready with a special video dedicated to them, honoring their bravery and encouraging them to live it up.

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    St Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients walk the red carpet for the the annual Teen Formal on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. St. Jude helps their patient enjoy milestones such as the end of the school year tradition for high school students.

    Rolling out the red carpet

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    “No matter what you’re going through there’s always a way for you to push through,” Dalton told Upworthy.

    St Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients walk the red carpet for the the annual Teen Formal on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. St. Jude helps their patient enjoy milestones such as the end of the school year tradition for high school students.

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    “To me, it represents hope,” Dalton’s mom told Upworthy. “It’s something that we can look forward to and know that each year they can forget about all their worries. They can just be children.”

    St Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients walk the red carpet for the the annual Teen Formal on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. St. Jude helps their patient enjoy milestones such as the end of the school year tradition for high school students.

    Inside the venue, they stepped into a “Cloud 9” dream. Cloud-themed decor covered the entire space, complete with cotton-trimmed porticos and metallic streamers. Guests first enjoyed a sit-down dinner.

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    Afterwards, it was time to bust a move under a cloud-covered dance floor. Hits spun from the DJ, and the teens danced all night. The event’s coordinator, Kenny, shared some behind-the-scenes looks at the event on TikTok:

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    She explained that each attendee also got to visit a gifting suite, where they could personalize a bird keychain with their name. Once finished, they could take the keychain over to a wall where they were able to hang it on a dove that lifted it to the “sky” before returning with a swag bag full of goodies.

    “I wanted to make the whole night a really memorable experience for our teens,” she shared in the video. “And I think they all loved it!”

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    8-year-old prevents flight from being diverted by soothing unruly passenger with ‘Dance Monkey’ song

    He sang to and talked down an unruly passenger for three and a half hours.

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    Being on a plane can be a nuisance on its own, but when there is an unruly passenger, it goes from an annoyance to a potential danger. On a Jet2 flight, a passenger was so belligerently drunk and rude to the staff that the plane was going to be diverted. Then hope arrived in the form of an eight-year-old soccer fan.

    Phoenix Rose and his father were cutting their vacation in Turkey short. They had to catch a flight home to Manchester due to a family emergency. During the flight, a passenger had too much to drink before boarding. She even had her open bottle of whiskey confiscated. This caused the irate passenger to disrupt the flight, shouting and swearing at the flight attendants. The passenger became so unruly that the flight attendants made an announcement: The flight would be diverted to remove her from the plane.

    And a child would lead them

    Phoenix was desperate to get home to deal with his family emergency. He didn’t want the flight to be diverted and cause a delay. On a whim, he asked a flight attendant if he could sit next to the angry passenger. He asked for only 30 seconds.

    The flight attendants gave Phoenix a chance. They switched his seat to one next to the unruly passenger. And it worked.

    “He just took all the control,” James, Phoenix’s father, told BelfastLive. “Phoenix, he got his cards out, he started singing to her this Dance Monkey song.”

    “She’s screaming, she’s shouting, she’s still being irate. And he starts singing to her, he starts talking about his football to her, talking about her family, asking her about her kids,” James told BBC News. “I’m sort of sat there in the end and I’m thinking to myself, thank god that Phoenix is with me because if he wasn’t, I don’t think I would have been able to handle it.”

    The young master of de-escalation

    Knowingly or instinctively, Phoenix practiced effective de-escalation techniques while talking to the passenger. This included finding common ground, listening to her talk about her family, and using several other strategies.

    Phoenix even calmly reminded her of the consequences. He told the passenger that she could be arrested if she couldn’t calm down, but quickly encouraged her to talk about her kids.

    For three and a half hours, Phoenix chatted with the passenger. They discussed his love of soccer, his YouTube channel, and their families. Phoenix also showed her his trading cards of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. An eight-year-old accomplished what a plane full of adults struggled to do.

    After the plane landed at its destination, the pilot and flight attendants thanked Phoenix for preventing a forced flight diversion. That would have been costly for both the airline and the passengers in terms of time and money. The passenger was taken into custody by authorities.

    A spokesperson for Jet2 thanked Phoenix and rewarded him and his dad with free flight vouchers.

    A little bit of kindness and the wisdom of a young kid were all it took to ease an intense and volatile situation.

    Keep Reading →
  • After daughter’s death, Martin Short says he understands mental illness can be ‘terminal’
    Photo credit: Library of Congress Life (public domain) – Martin Short at the Kennedy Center Honors Medallion Ceremony in 2021.
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    After daughter’s death, Martin Short says he understands mental illness can be ‘terminal’

    “She was just saying, ‘Dad, let me go.'”

    Annie Reneau

    When we talk about someone having a “terminal illness,” we generally mean an incurable, progressive disease that will eventually end someone’s life. Advanced cancer, end-stage heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and many other diseases are widely accepted as terminal in modern medicine.

    Most medical institutions don’t include mental illnesses in that category either, for understandable ethical reasons. But as actor Martin Short shares from firsthand experience, viewing treatment-resistant mental illness as “terminal” can help families process the loss of a loved one to suicide.

    In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Short compared losing his 42-year-old daughter, Katherine, to suicide in 2026 with losing his wife, Nancy, to cancer in 2010.

    “You know, it’s been a nightmare for the family,” Short said when asked what he wanted to share about Katherine’s death. “But the understanding that mental health and cancer, like my wife, are both diseases. And sometimes with diseases, they are terminal. And my daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and did the best she could until she couldn’t. So Nan’s last words to me were, ‘Martin, let me go.’ And she was just saying, ‘Dad, let me go.’”

    Adding nuance to the “suicide is preventable” conversation

    Short is speaking a hard truth that goes against the unequivocal messaging that suicide is preventable. As with so many human realities, conversations about mental health and suicide require nuance. Those who have seen a loved one through every available treatment, medication, therapy, and program, only to lose them to suicide after trying everything, play an important role in that conversation.

    We understand that many deaths from cancer and heart disease are preventable, but not all are. While mental illness may not be directly comparable to those diseases, the reality is that some illnesses, both physical and mental, resist even the best and most effective treatments.

    As Sophia Laurenzi shared in her Time essay, “The Problem With Saying Suicide Is Preventable,” the blanket message that suicide can be prevented places an unfair burden on individuals and families.

    Acknowledging the complex reality of suicide prevention

    “Though well-intentioned, the truth is that not all suicides can be stopped, even with the best efforts,” Laurenzi wrote. “But right after my father’s death, everywhere I looked I read that suicide is preventable. This instilled an immediate, unconscious conviction in me of a double failure: my father, who had not done enough to save himself, and those of us who loved him most, who had not done enough, either. Collectively we could have deterred his death. But we did not.”

    This feeling of failure and guilt prompted Laurenzi to dive deeply into suicide education and advocacy. That deep dive led her to the conclusion that while suicide prevention efforts are important, so is acknowledging the complex reality that a 100% success rate on that front is not currently possible.

    “The crux of the issue with blanketing suicide as something that can be stopped is that it flattens one of the most confounding psychological, medical, and philosophical questions of being human into something simpler than its reality,” she wrote. “Perhaps one day we will be able to say that, with the right blueprint, suicide is preventable. But we do not have the knowledge, let alone the resources, to make that true now.”

    To be clear, acknowledging that suicide isn’t always preventable is not the same as saying suicide is inevitable. Most suicides are preventable, and people should absolutely exhaust all preventative measures and possibilities. Knowing typical warning signs, having access to mental health treatment, limiting access to firearms and other highly lethal methods, and following other best practices are vital to giving someone the best chance of surviving a suicidal mental illness.

    Keeping hope in the balance

    Acknowledging that mental illness can be “terminal” also doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t have hope. Many illnesses that used to be terminal diagnoses—HIV, cholera, and more—are now totally survivable thanks to advances in medicine. Just because some people’s mental illness resists all known treatments now doesn’t mean we won’t find more effective treatments in the future. Most mental illnesses, even many serious ones, are currently treatable.

    But in some cases, for some people, having all the access in the world to resources, support, and treatment may not be enough. Just as doctors can exhaust all treatments for physical illnesses, people can also exhaust all treatments for mental illnesses. That doesn’t mean anyone should ever give up hope or stop trying. It means that families and friends who did everything they could, and who knew their loved one fought as long and hard as they were able to, can find peace in understanding that their loved one who died by suicide was dealing with a terminal, treatment-resistant illness that ultimately took their life.

    Short shared that he’s gotten involved with Bring Change to Mind, an organization started by actress Glenn Close, which he said is “taking mental health out of the shadows.”

    “Not being ashamed of it, not hiding from the word ‘suicide,’ but accepting that this can be the last stage of an illness,” said Short. “That’s my approach to this.”

    Watch Short’s full interview:

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