American Dialect Society
LightNews LightNews
banner
americandialect.org
American Dialect Society
@americandialect.org
1.2K followers 290 following 19 posts
The American Dialect Society is dedicated to the study of language in North America. Linguists, lexicographers, educators, students, enthusiasts, and more. https://americandialect.org/
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by American Dialect Society
joshuajfriedman.com
Full press release: americandialect.org/wp-content/u...
americandialect.org
January 11, 2026 at 5:17 AM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
joshuajfriedman.com
Other @americandialect.org Word of the Year winners:

INFORMAL WORD OF THE YEAR: 6-7: interjection containing little semantic content, originating from "Doot Doot (6 7)" by Skrilla

MOST CREATIVE WORD OF THE YEAR: reheat nachos, v: redo something (as music), often in an inferior fashion
DIGITAL WORD OF THE YEAR * slop, n: low-quality, high-quantity content, most typically produced by generative Al; also as a combining form for anything lacking value produced in mass quantities (150) the algorithm, n: essentialized view of online algorithms as a unitary, deterministic entity (40) clanker, n: pejorative term for Al agents and robots (69) Great Meme Reset, n: hypothetical youth movement to reset memes on January 1, 2026 (1) Italian brainrot, n: mock-Italian memes with generative AI characters (like Bombardiro Crocodilo and Ballerina Cappuccina) (9) INFORMAL WORD OF THE YEAR * 6-7: interjection containing little semantic content, originating from "Doot Doot (6 7)" by Skrilla (156) big back, n: a person's large body, or a large-bodied person (also bigbackery, big back behavior) (12) body tea, n: attractive physical appearance (reinterpretation of her body tea) (1) face card, n: undeniable good looks (as in face card never declined) (8) (X), I fear: indication of mock apprehension, used for ironic effect (51) smoke, n: drama or aggression (as in don't want no smoke) (13) MOST CREATIVE WORD OF THE YEAR * reheat nachos, v: redo something (as music), often in an inferior fashion (131/165) amphifa, n: playful resistance movement, as seen in "Amphibians Against Fascism" in Portland (amphibian + antifa) (94/96) fridge cigarette, n: euphemism for an ice-cold Diet Coke or similar drink taken from a retrigerator as a refreshment (25) lowkirkenuinely, adv: in a lowkey genuine manner (lowkey + Kirk + genuinely), also flowkirkenuinely (flow state + Kirk + genuinely) (29)
January 11, 2026 at 5:17 AM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
joshuajfriedman.com
Other @americandialect.org Word of the Year winners:

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: chopped, adj: ugly, undesirable

POLITICAL WORD OF THE YEAR: icy conditions, n: coded phrase alerting that ICE has been spotted in a neighborhood
MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED * chopped, adj: ugly, undesirable (128) glaze, v: effusively compliment in a cringeworthy fashion (23) performative male, n: man who superficially appeals to progressive or sensitive ideals through aesthetic presentation (9) unc, n: old person (originally an AAVE shortening of uncle but now gender-neutral (8) vibe-coding, n: use of an AI agent to code or assist in coding by using natural-language prompts (93) POLITICAL WORD OF THE YEAR * icy conditions, n: coded phrase alerting that ICE has been spotted in a neighborhood (83/153) disappear, v.: remove, abduct, or arrest (a person), as by a government agent (9) DOGE, v: eliminate or remove due to inefficiency claims from the Department of Government Efficiency (as with federal agencies like USAID and DOGE itself); often get DOGEd (49) Kavanaugh stop, n: immigration status check in which a person is detained based on social identifiers (referring to Justice Kavanaugh's opinion in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo) (70/110) TACO, n: Trump Always Chickens Out (as in TACO trade) (25) vice-signal, v: publicly promote negative or controversial views; antonym of virtue-signal (23)
January 11, 2026 at 5:15 AM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
joshuajfriedman.com
Other @americandialect.org Word of the Year winners:

MOST USEFUL: "that's AI": statement of distrust when determining that something presented as real (as an image) is in fact Al-generated (104)
WORD OF THE YEAR (2025) * slop, n: low-quality, high-quantity content, most typically produced by generative Al; also as a combining form for anything lacking value produced in mass quantities (83/161) the algorithm, n: essentialized view of online algorithms as a unitary, deterministic entity (17) amphifa, n: playful resistance movement, as seen in "Amphibians Against Fascism" in Portland (amphibian + antifa) (3) DOGE, v: eliminate or remove due to inefficiency claims from the Department of Government Efficiency (as with federal agencies like USAID and DOGE itself; often get DOGEd (9) rage-bait, n: content that intentionally evokes rage, often in a taunting way (67/111) reheat nachos, v: redo something (as music), often in an inferior fashion (39) 6-7: interjection containing little semantic content, originating from "Doot Doot (6 7)" by Skrilla (45) MOST USEFUL * "that's AI". statement of distrust when determining that something presented as real (as an image) is in fact Al-generated (104) clock, v: notice or recognize, often calling attention to a subtext (28) diabolical, adj: evil in a fun or shocking way (can be used as an exclamation) (5) rage-bait, n: content that intentionally evokes rage, often in a taunting way (51) recession indicator, n: signal of an impending economic downturn, often attributed humorously to cultural and fashion trends (31) rot, v: lounge and scroll social media (evoking brainrot and bedrot) (26) valid crashout, n: justified mental breakdown (19)
January 11, 2026 at 5:13 AM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
joshuajfriedman.com
The American Dialect Society's Word of the Year is SLOP!

“Slop isn’t a new word. It has moved from the pig sty, to the algorithm, and now forms newcompounds such as sloppunk, slopification, and friend slop,” Dr. Kelly Elizabeth Wright said. “This productivity has no end in sight.” 🧵
American Dialect Society Selects Slop as 2025 Word of the Year NEW ORLEANS MARRIOTT–JAN. 9—The American Dialect Society, in its 36th annual words-of-the-year vote, selected slop as the Word of the Year for 2025. More than three hundred attendees took part in the deliberations and voting, in an event hosted in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America’s annual meeting.The word slop was recognized for its widespread use for low-quality, high-quantity content, most typically produced by generative AI. While AI slop was a nominee in the American Dialect Society’s 2024 Word of the Year vote, in 2025 slop could stand on its own, with theAI context often implicitly understood. Slop was also recognized as a productive combining form to describe anything of little value generated in mass quantities. Presiding at the Jan. 9 voting session were Ben Zimmer, chair of the ADS New Words Committee, and Dr. Kelly Elizabeth Wright of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.“Slop isn’t a new word. It has moved from the pig sty, to the algorithm, and now forms new compounds such as sloppunk, slopification, and friend slop,” Dr. Wright said. “This productivity has no end in sight.”Word of the Year is interpreted in its broader sense as “vocabulary item”—not just words but also phrases, compounds, and affixes. The items do not have to be brand-new, but they have to be newly prominent or notable in the past year.The vote is the longest-running such vote anywhere, the only one not tied to commercial interests, and the word-of-the-year event up to which all others lead. It is fully informed by the members’ expertise in the study of words, but it is far from a solemn occasion.
January 11, 2026 at 5:11 AM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
emilymbender.bsky.social
The original word of the year (WOTY) from @americandialect.org is always chaos and always fun. This year's winner: slop

americandialect.org/2025-word-of...
2025 Word of the Year Is “Slop”
New Orleans Marriott–Jan. 9—The American Dialect Society, in its 36th annual words-of-the-year vote, selected slop as the Word of the Year for 2025. More than three hundred attendees took part in the…
americandialect.org
January 10, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
lingsocam.bsky.social
Yesterday was jam-packed with exciting moments! From -slop being named the ADS Word of the Year, to the insightful Five-Minute Linguist session, to vibrant networking in the poster session & exhibit hall—there truly was something for everyone. We can’t wait to see what today has in store! #LSA2026
January 10, 2026 at 3:15 PM
americandialect.org
The 2025 Word of the Year is "slop," both as a noun for low-quality AI-generated content and as a combining form for anything of little value. Read the full press release. #WOTY2025 #ADS2026 #LSA2026
americandialect.org/2025-word-of...
2025 Word of the Year Is “Slop”
New Orleans Marriott–Jan. 9—The American Dialect Society, in its 36th annual words-of-the-year vote, selected slop as the Word of the Year for 2025. More than three hundred attendees took part in the…
americandialect.org
January 10, 2026 at 8:18 AM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
jessesword.com
The American Dialect Society (@americandialect.org) has announced the nominations for its Word of the Year—this is the one that matters, people! Vote will be tonight.

americandialect.org/nominations-...
Nominations for Words of the Year 2025
Nominations for Words of the Year 2025 follow below. The final selection will be held at 6:45 pm CST on Friday, Jan. 9 (Carondelet, 3rd floor, New Orleans Marriott). American Dialect Society 2025…
americandialect.org
January 9, 2026 at 2:20 PM
americandialect.org
Now posted: The full list of nominees for ADS Word of the Year 2025. The final vote will be held this evening at 6:45 pm CST at the New Orleans Marriott. #WOTY2025 #ADS2026 #LSA2026
americandialect.org/nominations-...
Nominations for Words of the Year 2025
Nominations for Words of the Year 2025 follow below. The final selection will be held at 6:45 pm CST on Friday, Jan. 9 (Carondelet, 3rd floor, New Orleans Marriott). American Dialect Society 2025…
americandialect.org
January 9, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
benzimmer.bsky.social
I was on @fox5ny.bsky.social this evening talking about Word of the Year choices for 2025. www.fox5ny.com/video/1752579
Make sure to submit your own nominations for the @americandialect.org Word of the Year! americandialect.org/submit-2025-...
Word of the Year: Pop culture meets linguistics
Columnist Ben Zimmer joins Arthur Chi'en to talk about the top words of the year and why they're catching on.
www.fox5ny.com
December 7, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
superlinguo.bsky.social
Over the years I have built a little collection of academic research/admin tools and resources. I realised I hadn't put them all in one spot before, so here they are:

www.superlinguo.com/post/7997721...
My collection of Academic Research/Admin tools
Over the years I’ve build myself a little collection of tools and resources to manage the weird and messy work of being an academic. I thought I’d compile them all here in case any of them are useful ...
www.superlinguo.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
absp.bsky.social
Dennis Preston, just a delightful person. And I never met Walt Wolfram irl but I emailed him as an unaffiliated scholar asking for an article that was paywalled, and he sent it within 24 hours and was SO kind.
dreadships.bsky.social Dreadnought Holiday @dreadships.bsky.social · Nov 8
Right, enough of James Watson - who's a senior academic you've met who's been an utter delight?

I'll go first: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
November 9, 2025 at 11:16 PM
americandialect.org
Make your 2025 words-of-the-year nominations for the only vote that matters! bit.ly/2025WOTYNOMS
November 6, 2025 at 2:20 PM
americandialect.org
The 2026 annual meeting conference schedule for New Orleans is announced: americandialect.org/2026-sked/ Also includes words-of-the-year information!
American Dialect Society 2026 Annual Meeting Conference Schedule
This is the schedule for the annual American Dialect Society meeting to be held in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America Thursday, January 8, through Sunday, January 11, 2026…
americandialect.org
November 6, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
gwollman.bsky.social
There was an interesting talk at the last @americandialect.org meeting in Philadelphia presenting some research about just where the freeway arthrousness isogloss in California lies. IIRC it's south of Fresno.
July 9, 2025 at 1:20 AM
americandialect.org
Reminder: Friday, August 1, 2025, is the deadline for poster and 20-minute paper proposals for the American Dialects Society 2026 annual conference. Learn more: americandialect.org/2026-cfp/
2026 Annual Meeting Call for Papers
[Last revised 10 June 2025 to modify scope of proposals, which now conforms to the ADS mission statement.] The American Dialect Society will hold its annual meeting in conjunction with the Linguistic…
americandialect.org
July 14, 2025 at 1:45 PM
americandialect.org
The call for papers for the 2026 American Dialect Society conference in New Orleans has been posted! americandialect.org/2026-cfp/
2026 Annual Meeting Call for Papers
The American Dialect Society will hold its annual meeting in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America Thursday, January 8, through Sunday, January 11, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
americandialect.org
June 9, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
benzimmer.bsky.social
My latest @slate.bsky.social crossword includes a couple of nominees for @americandialect.org's Word of the Year (and other entries that fit our current political vibe).
slate.com/life/2025/01...
January 24, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
lisabdavidson.bsky.social
The producer of the ICYMI podcast is a linguist who attended the @americandialect.org WOTY vote. Every time I hear WOTY described for the public, I have to laugh--if only they could be a fly on the wall for the earnest jockeying between grad students and elder linguists
slate.com/podcasts/icy...
Rawdogging, Brainrot, and Brat
How linguists picked “rawdogging” and “brainrot” as 2024’s extremely online words of the year.
slate.com
January 22, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
benzimmer.bsky.social
On the latest episode of the crossword podcast @fillmeinpodcast.bsky.social, @cimmet.bsky.social and I talk about @americandialect.org's Word of the Year shenanigans and other silly stuff. bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/fill-me-in-4...
Fill Me In: Fill Me In #476: Linguistic chaos gremlins.
This week, Ben Zimmer joins Brian in the FMI studio for a thorough recap of the 2024 Word of the Year! Also: NYT games, the ORCAs, a little known fact about Russian poetry, and a Brian Wecht sighting!...
bemoresmarter.libsyn.com
January 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
thatwordchat.bsky.social
Tomorrow is #ThatWordChat’s Words of the Year 2024 show! We're thrilled to host an international panel of experts to discuss the language that defined 2024.

Register here: bit.ly/ThatWordChat

#WOTY #ANDC #OED #UniversityOfSussex #CambridgeDictionary #MerriamWebster #AmericanDialectSociety
January 13, 2025 at 4:11 PM
americandialect.org
Univ. of Michigan professor Anne Curzan has her roundup of the 2024 Word of the Year action on @michiganpublic.bsky.social. www.michiganpublic.org/podcast/that...
TWTS: The American Dialect Society's 2024 Word of the Year
It's that time again. With 2024 behind us, we can vote on the word of the year.
www.michiganpublic.org
January 13, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
fritinancy.bsky.social
“Rawdog,” @americandialect.org's word of the year, has undergone at least two semantic shifts, from nonsexual to sexual and back to nonsexual. | Ht @caitlinmoriah.bsky.social @misterslang.bsky.social @wordorigins.bsky.social @lingsocam.bsky.social fritinancy.substack.com/p/word-of-th... #woty2024
Word of the week: Rawdog
And a few words about the Los Angeles fires.
fritinancy.substack.com
January 13, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Reposted by American Dialect Society
mixedlinguist.bsky.social
It’s us, hi, we’re the problem, it’s we! And yes, we do know the meaning and etymology, and yes, people are really using it in a G-rated way across the internet. Press release here: americandialect.org/2024-word-of...
2024 Word of the Year Is “Rawdog” - American Dialect Society
Philadelphia Marriott Downtown–Jan. 10—The American Dialect Society, in its 35th annual words-of-the-year vote, selected rawdog as the Word of the Year for 2024. More than three hundred attendees took...
americandialect.org
January 12, 2025 at 11:23 PM