Controversy crept into the popular internet word game Wordle when some assumed Monday's original word – fetus – was chosen because abortion has been in the news lately after last week's leaked opinion on Roe v. Wade.
The New York Times, which acquired Wordle a little more than three months ago, issued a statement Monday claiming that it was an old answer unrelated to the recent news.
The statement said, "Some users may see an outdated answer that seems closely connected to a major recent news event. This is entirely unintentional and a coincidence — today’s original answer was loaded into Wordle last year."
The statement added, "At New York Times Games, we take our role seriously as a place to entertain and escape, and we want Wordle to remain distinct from the news." (The New York Times)