NYT scrambles to do damage control after today's Wordle turns out to be the F-word (no, not *that* one)

Sarah D | 1:20 PM on May 09, 2022

Well, the New York Times really stepped in it this time.

To be sure, they step in it all the time. It’s just what they do. But it’s not every day that they manage to do it with a single word.

Behold:

Not only females get fetus, male here and got this one today #wordle pic.twitter.com/6mb9qreAsn

— MrLooderoo (@MrLooderoo) May 9, 2022

Dear God. Not the F-word.

New York Times Apologizes After Wordle of the Day Is 'Fetus' https://t.co/oQxTQEAkpp pic.twitter.com/JyBu89MCme

— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) May 9, 2022

More from Gizmodo:

The realization of the more-than-timely puzzle answer led to a midnight panic as the New York Times rushed to change the answer on the platform. Any browser that refreshes the [Wordle] page should receive the day’s updated puzzle. Those who don’t will still potentially have “Fetus” as one of the two potential answers for the day’s puzzle.

In a statement, the Times wrote “this is a very unusual circumstance,” adding “We’re now busy revamping Wordle’s technology so that everyone always receives the same word. We are committed to ensuring that tens of millions of people have a gratifying and consistent experience, every day.”

…

The Times blamed the current Wordle technology for why they couldn’t change the answer on all user’s ends. The answers to today’s and every other day’s puzzle were set by the program’s creator before The New York Times purchased it.