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Youth Word of the Year 2026 finalists announced
The finalists for the 2026 Youth Word of the Year (Jugendwort des Jahres) have been announced. Since 2008, young people aged 11 to 20 in Germany have voted to determine the most popular slang terms.
This year's top three finalists are all English-derived terms:
• “Crashout”: Referring to losing control or reacting with extreme emotion, used both seriously and ironically. • “Peak”: Used to describe something that is the absolute best or the highest point. • “Ragebait”: Content on social media designed to intentionally trigger anger or provocation to increase engagement.
The term “67” was a popular contender but did not make the final three. Voting remains open until September 28, and the winner will be officially revealed by the publisher Pons Langenscheidt on October 10 during the Frankfurt Book Fair.