Explore the timeline and see how words have shaped the story, year by year...
2025
This year’s pick captures the spirit of our times: coding by conversation. 'Vibe coding' is all about telling AI what you want in everyday language and letting it turn your ideas into working code, reflecting the blend of creativity and technology shaping our world.
2024
This year, we were soooooo brat! 'Brat' was the title of Charlie XCX's summer album, and captures a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude.
2023
2023 marked Scriberia's tenth year as Collins' creative partner for their Word of the Year campaign. And it was the turn of 'AI' to take the top spot.
2022
‘Permacrisis’, a term that describes ‘an extended period of instability and insecurity’ was crowned winner.
2021
In a welcome break from disaster related words of the year, 'NFT', the abbreviation of non-fungible token clinched the title in 2021.
2020
The competition for the 2020 WOTY was tight, because our language as well as our lives changed drastically in the wake of the pandemic. But, with over a quarter of a million usages during 2020, it was 'lockdown' that finally clinched the top spot.
2019
‘Climate strike’, the form of protest made famous in 2018 by one, Greta Thunberg, became a worldwide movement and took the top spot this year.
2018
'Single-use' was crowned Word of the Year, highlighting society’s growing awareness of throwaway culture and environmental impact.
2017
'Fake news' took the top spot, reflecting a year dominated by misinformation, media debates and public discussions around truth and trust.
2016
'Brexit' captured global attention, encapsulating the political, economic and social conversations around the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
2015
'Binge-watch' entered the dictionary spotlight, reflecting how streaming culture transformed the way we consume TV and film.
2014
'Photobomb' was chosen as the Word of the Year, perfectly capturing the playful, social-media-driven moments of the year.
