Looking for the WordPress Twenty Twenty-Seven theme? That was the name originally announced for WordPress’s next default-theme project. In September 2026, WordPress announced that Ipsum would become its next default theme, marking a move away from year-based naming.
If you’ve been searching for a download or waiting for Twenty Twenty-Seven to appear in your WordPress dashboard, here’s why the name changed and what to use instead.
Was Twenty Twenty-Seven officially announced?
Yes. Twenty Twenty-Seven began as an official WordPress default-theme project.
In March 2026, the WordPress Core team published a call for volunteers to help develop the theme, with Henrique Iamarino as lead designer. An April team announcement confirmed Maggie Cabrera and Carolina Nymark as co-lead developers, with Juanfra Aldasoro serving as lead mentor.
Those announcements explain why older articles and discussions still refer to Twenty Twenty-Seven. It was the project’s publicly announced name before WordPress changed direction.
Why WordPress changed its default theme naming
WordPress began naming its default themes after the year with Twenty Ten in 2010. That naming tradition continued through Twenty Twenty-Five. After WordPress skipped Twenty Twenty-Six, Twenty Twenty-Seven was the next name many users expected.
In September 2026, WordPress announced a new approach. Following direction from WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, default themes would receive individual names, with new designs introduced according to design needs rather than the calendar.
The project also took a simpler design direction: a minimal blog theme that gives you a clean starting point, with space to shape the design around your own content and creative ideas. An earlier, more expressive design called Mētis was retained as a separate theme.
The new default theme in WordPress 7.2
WordPress’s September 2026 roadmap identified Ipsum as the default theme planned for WordPress 7.2, a release scheduled for December 8, 2026.
If you’d like to try it before the official release, you can find the development version and testing instructions in the Ipsum GitHub repository.
Which theme should you use instead of Twenty Twenty-Seven?
If you were looking for Twenty Twenty-Seven because you prefer building with an official WordPress default theme, Ipsum is the theme to explore.
At Twentig, we’ve been extending WordPress default themes since Twenty Twenty. Our plugin will also enhance Ipsum, giving you more ways to customize your website and make it your own.
If you’re looking for a more advanced starting point, explore Twentig One, our own WordPress block theme, with flexible templates, richer design options, and professionally designed starter sites.
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