Ms. Carmen teaches the toddlers new words for feelings and emotions with the help of the book “When I Am / Cuando Estoy,” by Gladys Rosa-Mendoza. This picture reflects the page of the book: When I am happy, I smile. Cuando estoy feliz, sonrío. 

New year, new…words! New words are added to the dictionary as language changes over time. Each year, sources like Merriam-Webster and Oxford English Dictionary choose one word or expression that has attracted a great deal of interest over the last 12 months. The selection, according to Oxford, is meant “to reflect the ethos, mood or preoccupations” of the preceding year, while also having “potential as a term of lasting cultural significance.” 

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2023 is authentic.  

Authentic can be defined as: 

  • not false or imitation  
  • a synonym of real and actual 
  • true to one’s own personality, spirit, identity, or character 

Although a desirable quality, authentic can be somewhat hard to define. Words frequently modified by authentic include cuisine, dish, self, and voice.  

Other contenders for the title of Word of the Year 2023 were deepfake, coronation, dystopian, EGOT, implode, doppelgänger, covenant, indict, and elemental. 

Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2023 is rizz. 

Rizz can be defined as: 

  • a shortened form of charisma 
  • slang for “style, charm or attractiveness”  
  • “the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner” 

Other contenders for the honor of Word of the Year 2023 were situationship, prompt, de-influencing and Swiftie. 

Word of the Day 

Expand your vocabulary and learn a new word every day with “Word of the Day.” Many linguistic sources like Merriam Webster, Oxford Dictionary, and Dictionary.com post a new word daily on their website, social media channels, and email newsletters. Also, they curate fun articles, games, word lists, and more, all about language.  

Learn more: 

  • Merriam Webster compiled a list of the 10 most frequently searched words on their website. The words pretentious and apathetic made the list.  
  • Learn about the dictionary’s cousin…the thesaurus! A thesaurus lists synonyms for words, for example, synonyms (similar meaning) for the word big are large, gigantic, huge, etc.  
  • Scripts National Spelling Bee is an annual spelling competition. The National Spelling Bee has been promoting literacy since 1925; it has been held every year except 1943-1945, due to World War II, and 2020, due to Covid-19. Its purpose is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.