diff --git a/src/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-terms-controller.php b/src/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-terms-controller.php
index 7c62c34fe8..5a844bdfce 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-terms-controller.php
+++ b/src/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/tests/phpunit/tests/rest-api/rest-categories-controller.php b/tests/phpunit/tests/rest-api/rest-categories-controller.php
index 4c1152133e..4161a5bd69 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/tests/rest-api/rest-categories-controller.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/tests/rest-api/rest-categories-controller.php
@@ -702,7 +702,7 @@ class WP_Test_REST_Categories_Controller extends WP_Test_REST_Controller_Testcas
 		$request->set_param( 'name', 'Existing' );
 
 		$response = $this->server->dispatch( $request );
-		$this->assertEquals( 409, $response->get_status() );
+		$this->assertEquals( 400, $response->get_status() );
 		$data = $response->get_data();
 		$this->assertEquals( 'term_exists', $data['code'] );
 		$this->assertEquals( $existing_id, (int) $data['data']['term_id'] );