Wordle Blocks Offensive Words Following New York Times Acquisition
Following its New York Times acquisition, Wordle now blocks certain offensive words, a major change that removed many NSFW words from its dictionary. Shortly after the word game gained viral success in early 2022, The New York Times purchased Wordle for over $1 million. The company officially migrated the famous five-by-six square grid to its website Thursday, and though the game looks exactly the same on the New York Times site, the Wordle dictionary has shrunk.
Wordle garnered a massive player base through its simplistic gameplay and viral share feature, and a plethora of clones have popped up, attempting to mooch some of its success. While some Wordle clones are frustrating mobile games with pesky microtransactions and ads, some developers have successfully duplicated the viral word game, offering unique spins on its central gameplay feature. Lordle of the Rings, a Lord of the Rings-themed Wordle clone, is one such example, limiting the daily answers to words inspired by Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Several unique variations have popped up but none have quite captivated audiences like Wordle.
Related: Wordle's Best Starting Word Has Been Calculated With Math
As reported by Polygon, Wordle blocked offensive words following its New York Times acquisition. The words “bitch,” “whore,” and “sluts” have been removed from its dictionary. Inputing the since-banned words results in the game board shaking and the message “not in word list” appearing over the five-by-six grid. There are still some vulgar words available to use, such as the slang words for both male and female genitalia. In a statement to Polygon, The New York Times explained that “offensive words will always be omitted from consideration” and confirmed that as
Read more on screenrant.com
