You’ve probably seen the frantic tweets or the weirdly specific TikTok comments claiming that Wordle is no longer NYT property. It’s one of those internet rumors that just won't quit. People wake up, get a "Word Not Found" error, and immediately think the New York Times sold their favorite daily distraction back to the original creator or, even worse, to some data-mining ad farm.
It’s understandable.
We live in an era of constant acquisitions and sudden shutdowns. When the Times first bought Wordle from Josh Wardle back in early 2022 for a "low seven-figure" sum, the internet collectively lost its mind. Since then, every time the site glitches or the difficulty spikes, the "Wordle is no longer NYT" conspiracy theories start bubbling up again.
But let’s get the facts straight right away.
The New York Times still owns Wordle. They aren't letting it go. It’s basically the crown jewel of their Games app, driving millions of people to their ecosystem every single morning. What is happening, however, is a massive shift in how the game is hosted, how the data is tracked, and how the underlying code interacts with your browser. That's usually what triggers the "did they sell it?" panic.
Why people keep thinking Wordle is no longer NYT owned
The confusion usually stems from technical transitions.
Recently, the Times has been aggressive about migrating all its gaming properties into a singular, unified app experience. If you’ve noticed that your bookmarked URL redirected or your "streak" suddenly vanished, it wasn't because the game changed hands. It’s because the NYT back-end engineering team shifted the game’s assets to different servers.
Josh Wardle, the software engineer who built the game for his partner Palak Shah, hasn't been involved in the day-to-day operations for years. He’s moved on. The "NYT" branding is more embedded than ever, but because the game looks so simple, any minor change to the UI makes people think the "corporation" finally messed it up or sold it off.
Honestly, the "is no longer NYT" search trend is often a reaction to a particularly brutal word choice. Remember when "CAULK" or "ERASE" caused a meltdown? Whenever the word list feels "off," players search for news of a sale, hoping the game has returned to its indie roots. It hasn't.
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The shift from the original word list
One thing that has changed—and this fuels the rumors—is the editorial control over the word list.
When it was an indie project, the list was static. It was just a script sitting in your browser. Now, the NYT has a dedicated editor, Tracy Bennett. She actually curates the words. This means the game is no longer a "set it and forget it" piece of code. It’s a living product.
- Manual removals: The NYT has removed words that were deemed too obscure or potentially offensive.
- Themed days: Sometimes they align words with holidays or current events, though they try to keep it subtle.
- App integration: They want you in the NYT Games app, not on a standalone browser tab.
This editorializing makes the game feel different than the 2021 version. To a casual player, a "different feel" often equals "different owner."
The business logic: Why the NYT would never sell
Why would they?
In their 2023 and 2024 earnings reports, the New York Times explicitly credited their "Games" and "Cooking" bundles for a massive chunk of their digital subscription growth. Wordle is the "gateway drug." You come for the green squares, you stay for the Connections, and maybe you eventually subscribe to read the actual news.
Selling Wordle now would be like Netflix selling the rights to Stranger Things while it's still their most-watched show. It makes zero sense.
The value of Wordle isn't just in the game itself—it’s in the habit.
The NYT has turned Wordle into a social ritual. They’ve integrated it with "WordleBot," an AI tool that analyzes your guesses. That tool alone keeps people on the NYT site for an extra five minutes. In the world of digital media, those five minutes are worth millions in advertising and retention data.
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What actually happens when the site "breaks"
If you find a version of Wordle that isn't under the NYT domain, you’re looking at a clone.
There are thousands of them. Some are better than the original. Some are just blatant attempts to steal your data. But the "Real" Wordle—the one that everyone posts on Twitter/X—is firmly staying at nytimes.com/games/wordle.
If your streak disappears, it’s usually a "local storage" issue. Wordle saves your progress in your browser’s cache. If you clear your cookies, or if the NYT updates their site security, your browser might treat you like a new player. That’s when the "Wordle is no longer NYT" rumors spike on Reddit. People think the "reset" means the game has been moved to a new company.
The "Wordle Is No Longer NYT" Misconception: A Case Study in Viral Misinformation
A few months back, a viral post claimed that a new gaming conglomerate had purchased the rights to Wordle to turn it into a pay-to-play mobile app.
It was fake.
But it spread because it played on our collective fear that everything we love on the internet will eventually be ruined by monetization. The irony is that the NYT has actually been fairly restrained. They haven't put a hard paywall on Wordle yet. You can still play the daily puzzle for free.
The day Wordle actually leaves the NYT will be the day the NYT stops caring about digital subscriptions. And judging by their current trajectory, that day is nowhere near.
How to tell if you're on the official version
- Check the URL. It should always be under the
nytimes.comumbrella. - Look for the "Games" header.
- Check the WordleBot link. Clones don't have the Bot.
- The font. The NYT uses a very specific set of typefaces (Karnak and Franklin) that are hard for clones to copy perfectly without looking "janky."
What’s next for the game?
The NYT is currently testing deeper integration with their other hits.
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We’re seeing more cross-promotion with Connections and The Crossword. They are also looking into "archive" access—allowing subscribers to play every Wordle they’ve ever missed. This is the real reason the game feels like it's changing. It's becoming a "service" rather than a simple webpage.
The tech stack is getting heavier. The ads (mostly for other NYT products) are getting more prominent. But the ownership remains the same.
Actionable steps for Wordle players
If you're worried about losing your stats or you're tired of the rumors, here is how you stay "safe" in the NYT ecosystem:
Create a free NYT account. This is the only way to "cloud save" your streak. If you play as a guest, your 400-day win streak lives and dies by your browser's temporary cache. If you log in, the NYT servers hold that data. Even if you switch from an iPhone to a laptop, your stats follow you.
Don't panic over "Word Not Found." If the game feels glitchy, just refresh or check the official NYT Games status on social media. It's almost always a server-side update.
Ignore the "New Owner" pop-ups. If you see an ad or a pop-up saying "Wordle has moved, click here to play," close the tab immediately. Those are phishing attempts taking advantage of the "Wordle is no longer NYT" rumors.
The game is here to stay. It’s still the same five-letter struggle. It’s still the same NYT-owned juggernaut. It just has a few more bells and whistles than it did when Josh Wardle first coded it in his Brooklyn apartment.