Merriam-Webster promoted a word game littered with offensive terms — the latest reckoning over language in the puzzle world – The Washington Post (2021)

TITLE
Merriam-Webster promoted a word game littered with offensive terms — the latest reckoning over language in the puzzle world

AUTHOR
Tracy Jan

PUBLICATION
The Washington Post

YEAR
2021

ARTICLE TYPE
Article

FROM THE ARTICLE
Her husband had dozed off by her side, but Jan Buckner Walker could not sleep. Emotionally drained after watching the trial of the police officer accused of murdering George Floyd, she fretted about what the guilty verdict would mean for the Black men in her life. Well past midnight, the corporate attorney turned crossword creator reached for her phone and opened “Typeshift,” a word game that carried the Merriam-Webster brand.

She flicked her thumb across the glowing screen, dialing letters up and down to find all the possible word combinations in that day’s puzzle. Within minutes, the grid of mostly brown squares turned turquoise, accompanied by a click signaling success.

Seven white letters had appeared: “Lynched.”

GAMES MENTIONED
Typeshift

PEOPLE MENTIONED
Zach Gage