‘Wordle’ Blocks Offensive Words From Gameplay Under New York Times

Last week, Wordle officially moved to The New York Times following its buyout. Now, more changes are coming to the popular word game, as some offensive language has been banned.

According to Polygon, gendered slurs including “b***h,” “wh*re,” and “sl*ts” have been removed from the game’s dictionary, meaning they won’t be accepted as guesses. 

This isn’t a surprise given Wordle’s new ownership, as The New York Times itself rarely publishes any vulgarities. Plus, these words aren’t accepted in one of the newspaper’s other word games, Spelling Bee.

As Engadget noted, not all profanities have been banned. Some crass slang terms and common cuss words are still accepted, though they may eventually be removed from the in-game dictionary as well. 

Though, as expected, no obscene word will ever end up as the right answer for the day. A Times spokesperson confirmed this, saying: “Offensive words will always be omitted from consideration.” 

If you’re itching for a word game that allows the use of profanities and the like, try Lewdle instead. 

[via Polygon and Engadget, cover image via Wachiwit | Dreamstime.com]