Acquisition closed
The New York Times acquires Wordle (2022)
The New York Times completed the acquisition of Wordle on 31 January 2022.[1][2]
The New York Times Company bought Wordle from its creator Josh Wardle, months after the daily word game had become a global habit shared through grids of coloured squares. The Times has never disclosed the price. The game joined the Games portfolio alongside the Crossword and Spelling Bee, and the company keeps it free, treating it as a way to build an audience it can convert to subscriptions later.
Deal facts
- Announced
- Not recorded
- Closed
- Value
- Undisclosed
- Buyer
- The New York Times
- Seller
- —
- Assets
- Wordle
- Regulatory review
- None recorded
Ownership changes recorded from this deal
| Owner | Owned | Relationship | Stake | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New York Times | Wordle | owns | 100% | 2022-01-31 | present |
Who owns Wordle today?
- Wordle — owned by The New York Times since 2022
Sources (2) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] The New York Times Company Form 10-K for 2021 - products — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 23 February 2022; retrieved 16 September 2026.
- [2] The New York Times Company Form 10-K for 2022 - The Athletic acquisition — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 28 February 2023; retrieved 16 September 2026.
Report a correction Opens a pre-filled GitHub issue. See our corrections policy.