diff --git a/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-terms-controller.php b/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-terms-controller.php
index 7c62c34fe8..5a844bdfce 100644
--- a/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-terms-controller.php
+++ b/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-terms-controller.php
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ class WP_REST_Terms_Controller extends WP_REST_Controller {
 			if ( $term_id = $term->get_error_data( 'term_exists' ) ) {
 				$existing_term = get_term( $term_id, $this->taxonomy );
 				$term->add_data( $existing_term->term_id, 'term_exists' );
-				$term->add_data( array( 'status' => 409, 'term_id' => $term_id ) );
+				$term->add_data( array( 'status' => 400, 'term_id' => $term_id ) );
 			}
 
 			return $term;
diff --git a/wp-includes/version.php b/wp-includes/version.php
index fc271a953d..463f8658c4 100644
--- a/wp-includes/version.php
+++ b/wp-includes/version.php
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  *
  * @global string $wp_version
  */
-$wp_version = '5.0-alpha-42353';
+$wp_version = '5.0-alpha-42354';
 
 /**
  * Holds the WordPress DB revision, increments when changes are made to the WordPress DB schema.