# #587 | The Curious Tradition of Words of the Year (English Listening Practice)

An episode of [English Learning for Curious Minds | A More Interesting Way To Learn English](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1489301603), 1 Jan 2026, 21 min.

Audio: https://p.podderapp.com/7325297561/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/8e645f06/e66593f3.mp3

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!) \[YouTube\] 📧 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

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