What do “truthiness”, “selfie”, and “goblin mode” have in common?
In this episode, we'll see how Words of the Year are chosen, look at some of the most pertinent from history, and explore the winners of this year's prize.
- What "Word of the Year" means
- How dictionaries choose: data and expert judgement
- Sometimes a public vote decides the winner
- Common themes: politics, culture, technology, internet language
- 2005 "truthiness": feels true, not actually true
- 2013 "selfie": rise of phone photos of yourself
- 2016 "post-truth": emotions beat facts in politics
- 2022 "goblin mode": lazy, messy, not sorry attitude
- 2025 "6 7": young people's meme with unclear meaning
- Collins winner "vibe coding": using AI to write code
Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/2025-words-of-the-year
---
You might like:
🔓 Unlock bonus episodes, interactive transcripts, subtitles & vocabulary lists
✨ 5 Powerful Tips for Learning English with Podcasts (Faster & Effectively!) [YouTube]
📹 A look inside Leonardo English membership
📧 Join our FREE weekly newsletter
---
Keywords: Learn English, vocabulary, lessons, idioms, aprende inglés, idiomas, aprender inglês, apprendre l'anglais, imparare l’inglese, ingilizce öğren,英語を習う, تعلم الإنجليزية
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.