Dawn Images

You might have heard the phrase, “very mindful, very demure” all over your Instagram. Or perhaps, “this is peak brain rot”. Maybe you’re a seriously serious person who only reads serious news and came across the term “dynamic pricing”.

These quirky words, and some others, that were heard throughout 2024 have been shortlisted for Oxford University Press (OUP) Word of the Year — and the best part? We can vote for our favourite word to be the victor.

Without further ado, here are the contending words.

Encapsulating themes from finance to fantasy, and the evolving impact of technology on society, the competing six words and expressions have seen a notable spike in usage and gained new prominence in 2024.

Speaking about this year’s selection, Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said, “Since 2004, we’ve aimed to provide a window into language and cultural change through the Oxford Word of the Year. The 2024 shortlist represents a snapshot of the topics that have caught our interest and imagination and kept us talking. Capturing themes from finances to fantasy, what is particularly unique about this year’s selection is the range of words associated with bygone eras that have slid back into public consciousness — in some cases after being adopted and retooled by online communities.”

Voting will remain open for two weeks, closing on November 28. OUP will conduct a last detailed analysis, considering corpus data, votes, and public commentary on the finalists, before naming the definitive Word of the Year for 2024 on December 2.

You can vote for your favourite here!

Every year, various dictionaries select a word of the year, which people increasingly use that year. Not all panels take public voting into account, with OUP introducing it in 2022, when the chosen words were “goblin mode”. Last year, OUP’s Word of the Year was “rizz” — which means charisma.