Henderson, Tennessee – (Jan. 23, 2024) – Fans of ThyWordle, last year’s breakout scripture puzzle game developed by Freed-Hardeman University computer science students, will be pleased to hear that a second version is now available to play at ThyWordle.com. Based on user feedback, this new and improved version of the game includes fresh features and added upgrades.
Version one of ThyWordle was originally brought to life by Dallas Yarnell and Kaden King as part of an FHU computer science capstone senior project in the spring of 2023. With the help of Dr. Kenan Casey, associate professor of computer science, the pair of students developed their own unique twist on a popular word puzzle game by incorporating scripture. Players of the game are shown a Bible verse and are given six chances to puzzle out the scripture reference using book, chapter and verse, while color clues indicate how close their guesses come to the correct answer.
“ThyWordle is one of the most successful software projects developed in our capstone course in my 15 years of teaching,” Casey said. “The app has had over 6,000 users from over 40 countries since its May 2023 launch. It perfectly represents the distinctiveness of FHU’s academic experience, combining technical skills, the Christian faith and a dynamic learning environment. Projects like this remind me why I love my job and my students.” 
Version two of the game adds several new features that users are sure to appreciate. One such upgrade is auto-fill mode. Turning on auto-fill mode in settings allows users to avoid typing booknames once they have already correctly guessed them.
Players can now also create a ThyWordle account in order to save their stats online, play on multiple devices, track their progress against others and create groups with their friends. A new global leaderboard even reveals how one is doing compared to everyone else playing the game worldwide.
Finally, players can create or join a ThyWordle Group (public or private) in order to track their points against a group of friends, family, youth group or congregation as they compete and learn God’s word together.
These recent upgrades are the work of King, who is now working full-time as a software engineer with Clear Function in Memphis, Tennessee. Despite graduating last May, King has spent approximately 80 additional hours of his spare time working on improvements to the app.
“This class project – turned personal project – has been a great opportunity to improve my professional skills and learning,” King said. “It has been amazing to see how many people have loved playing ThyWordle, expressed appreciation for it and suggested improvements for what they would like to see added to the game. Since graduation (May 2023), I’ve specifically been excited for the idea of online accounts, groups and leaderboards driving more users to daily test their Biblical knowledge.”
One such regular user is David Pharr, a 2006 FHU alumnus who currently works as a minister in Orlando, Florida. “I started playing ThyWordle almost every day once I heard about it through a press release from FHU,” Pharr said. “I enjoyed Wordle, I love FHU and the Bible, so I thought it would be a good combo. I have now made ThyWordle a part of my morning routine. In fact, a deacon friend and I share our results with each other every morning. I also now share it on Facebook in hopes that the game will catch on with more of my friends. I enjoy ThyWordle because it allows me to work on placing a scripture in its context.”
Despite the game’s humble beginnings and its lack of a professional budget, ThyWordle has still consistently seen over 100 daily users leading into the version two launch. King is hopeful that the app’s audience will continue to grow and that more people will be inspired to strengthen their Bible-study skills.
“This game is a fun way to take in a small piece of God’s word daily,” he said. “My hope is that as users search for Biblical references, they grow in their love for God’s inspired message and their own ability to navigate it (2 Tim. 2:15).”
The mission of Freed-Hardeman University is to help students develop their God-given talents for His glory by empowering them with an education that integrates Christian faith, scholarship and service. With locations in Henderson and Memphis, FHU offers bachelor’s, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees