Word of the year

The word(s) of the year, sometimes written as "Word(s) of the Year" and shortened to "WOTY", are special words or phrases that stand out in everyday talking and news during a certain year.

This idea began in Germany with the Wort des Jahres in 1971. Later, in 1999, Austria joined to show how German is spoken in more than one way, reflecting its pluricentric nature.

In the United States, the American Dialect Society has one of the oldest English-language awards for a word of the year. They choose it by letting many linguists vote, and they do this after the year ends, making sure their choice is not influenced by business interests. Many other groups also pick their own words of the year for different reasons.

American Dialect Society

Main article: List of American Dialect Society's Words of the Year

Since 1990, the American Dialect Society has chosen one or more words or terms to be the "Word of the Year" in the United States. Along with the "Word of the Year," the society also picks words in other groups such as "Most Outrageous," "Most Creative," and "Most Likely to Succeed."

Australian National Dictionary Centre

The Australian National Dictionary Centre has chosen a Word of the Year every year since 2006. The word is picked by the centre's editors based on how well-known it became in Australia during that year. While it is often called Australia's word of the year, it isn't always a word that originally comes from Australia.

Cambridge Dictionary

The Cambridge Dictionary picks a Word of the Year each year. This tradition started in 2015 and is run by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. The word is chosen using user data, the spirit of the times, and language trends.

In 2024, the Word of the Year was "manifest". Usually, this word means "obvious" or "to show something clearly". It was chosen because many famous people, especially on social media, used it to talk about imagining good things they want to happen.

Collins English Dictionary

The Collins English Dictionary has chosen a special "Word of the Year" each year since 2013. Before that, in 2012, they picked a new "word of the month" every month. This dictionary, made in Glasgow, UK, has been helping people learn English since 1819.

At the end of each year, Collins makes a list of ten important words from that year. Sometimes, there are fewer than ten words on the list. A team of experts at Collins chooses the Word of the Year, looking at how often words are used and how language changes. The chosen word can come from anywhere in the world, not just the UK. For example, "fake news" was picked in 2017.

Dictionary.com

In 2010, Dictionary.com started choosing a special word of the year. They pick the word based on what people search for most on their website during the year, which often relates to big news events. They have done this every December since then.

The Economist

Since 2021, the British current affairs journal The Economist has started choosing a word of the year.

Macquarie Dictionary

The Macquarie Dictionary is a dictionary of Australian English. Every year, it updates its online version with new words, phrases, and definitions that people are using.

The editors look at all the new words added during the year. They make a shortlist and let the public vote for their favorite in November. This vote decides the People's Choice winner. A special committee, including the editorial team, David Astle, and a language expert, also picks the most important word of the year. They meet every year to choose the winner.

Here are the winning words since the Macquarie Word of the Year began in 2006:

Merriam-Webster

Main article: Lists of Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year

Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year are special lists of ten important words chosen each year by the American dictionary company Merriam-Webster. These lists began in 2003 and are shared at the end of every year. At first, Merriam-Webster picked the words by looking at which ones people searched for most on their website. Since 2006, they have let people vote online and also accept suggestions from website visitors to decide the list.

Here are the words that have been chosen as Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year since 2003:

Oxford

Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary and many other dictionaries, picks a UK Word of the Year and a US Word of the Year each year. Sometimes both choices are the same word, and it is called the Word of the Year. The word doesn't have to be new, but it must have become important or well-known during that year. The team that chooses the words includes dictionary experts and other staff members from Oxford.

Grant Barrett

Since 2004, lexicographer Grant Barrett has shared a list of important words for each year. These lists usually appear in The New York Times.

Similar word lists

A Word a Year

Since 2004, Susie Dent, an expert on words, has published a yearly column choosing one word from each of the past 101 years to show what people were thinking about at the time. She notes that her choices are personal views, not official decisions. Because she works for the Oxford University Press, some people mistakenly think her words are the "Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year."

Other countries

Several countries have their own ways of picking a special word for the year. In Austria, a word of the year has been chosen since 1999 by a group called the Society for Austrian German. In Germany, a word of the year has been selected since 1972 by the Society of the German Language. Other German-speaking places like Liechtenstein and Switzerland also choose their own words of the year.

Denmark, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the Netherlands all have their own traditions for picking a word of the year. Japan, for example, has held a yearly contest for new or popular phrases since 1984 and also picks a special symbol (kanji) for the year. These words often show what was important or happening in that country during the year.