The Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Year is an annual selection highlighting a word or term that reflects significant cultural, social, or technological developments over the past 12 months. Chosen by lexicographers at Oxford University Press, it captures public attention and tracks evolving language use across English-speaking regions.
The process begins with data collected from the Oxford English Corpus, which contains over 2 billion words of real-world English usage from sources like books, newspapers, websites, and social media. Lexicographers monitor frequency, context, and geographic spread. A shortlist emerges based on measurable spikes in usage and relevance to current events. Final selection involves editorial consensus, ensuring the word represents both linguistic impact and cultural resonance.
For example, the 2023 Word of the Year was "rizz," a slang term meaning charm or charisma in romantic or social contexts. It gained traction through TikTok videos, internet memes, and youth-led conversations. Its rise illustrates how digital platforms accelerate lexical innovation. According to Oxford University Press, "rizz" appeared in 36,000 instances across online texts between January and November 2023-a 400% increase from the previous year.
Oxford University Press uses a combination of quantitative tracking and qualitative judgment. Automated tools scan the corpus for sudden increases in word frequency. Words that appear in multiple regional varieties of English-British, American, Australian-are prioritized. The team also evaluates whether a term has entered mainstream discourse beyond niche communities.
Not all high-frequency words make the cut. For instance, "AI" saw massive usage in 2023 due to generative models like ChatGPT. But it was excluded because it had already been widely documented since 2020. The Word of the Year must signal a new phase in language evolution, not just renewed interest in an old term.
A key distinction often missed: the Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Year is not a vote or poll. It is not selected by public submission or social media popularity contests. It is a scholarly decision grounded in linguistic evidence. This differs from the Collins Dictionary Word of the Year, which uses a public survey component.
While the Oxford selection focuses on single words or phrases, they fall into thematic clusters. Common categories include:
These categories reflect broader societal concerns. For example, "ecocide" gained prominence in 2022 after the International Criminal Court began considering it as a potential war crime. Its inclusion in the 2022 shortlist signaled growing legal and ethical debates around environmental destruction.
Another non-obvious point: the Oxford Word of the Year is not necessarily a new word. It can be a revival or recontextualization of older terms. "Bread" as slang for money dates back to early 20th-century African American Vernacular English. Its resurgence in 2021 via internet culture was recognized not as invention but as renewal.
Many assume the Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Year is a list of the most popular words. That's incorrect. Popularity ≠ significance. A viral meme word like "yeet" may trend globally but lacks sustained usage across diverse contexts. The selection prioritizes depth of impact over volume of mentions.
Another misconception: the word is chosen to represent the entire year. It is not a summary of global events. Instead, it acts as a linguistic barometer-one word that encapsulates a shift in how people communicate. For instance, "goblin mode" (2022) wasn't about goblins-it was a satirical take on rejecting productivity norms during pandemic burnout. It captured a mood, not a literal creature.
Some confuse it with the American Dialect Society's Word of the Year, which selects from a wider range of dialects and includes playful or ironic choices. Oxford's focus remains on standard English variants with broad international reach.
In early 2023, "rizz" began appearing in TikTok captions, YouTube comment sections, and celebrity interviews. By summer, it was used in news articles covering dating culture and performance art. The Oxford team noted its rapid adoption among Gen Z and young millennials.
Usage analysis showed "rizz" was used in 12 different syntactic roles: noun ("He has so much rizz"), verb ("She rizzed him in the elevator"), adjective ("That rizz move was flawless"). This versatility indicates deep integration into everyday speech.
By November, "rizz" appeared in 47% of UK-based social media posts discussing attraction or confidence. In contrast, only 12% of U.S. users employed it-suggesting regional variation in uptake. These patterns were tracked using the Oxford English Corpus, which logs usage by country, age group, and platform.
After review, the editorial board confirmed "rizz" met all criteria: increased usage, cross-regional presence, and cultural relevance. It was officially announced on November 28, 2023, alongside a brief etymological note tracing its roots to 1990s Black American slang.
Language changes are not random. They mirror social change. The Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Year provides a snapshot of collective consciousness. It shows how people adapt language to express new emotions, behaviors, and technologies.
For educators, it offers a tool to teach students about contemporary usage. For writers, it signals emerging idioms. For policymakers, it reveals public sentiment on issues like mental health, work-life balance, and digital identity.
I first noticed the word "rizz" while reviewing student essays in a university composition class. One phrase stood out: "He didn't have rizz, but he had integrity." The juxtaposition of informal slang with formal academic structure revealed how deeply such terms had infiltrated daily communication-even in structured writing.