Rage bait, goblin mode … do words of the year have any real value?

Analysis shows obscure and barely used choices, drawn from online slang, do not stand the test of time

If you have seen a news story declaring 2025's chosen word of the year" in recent weeks, you might be forgiven for asking yourself: what, another one?

Depending on which dictionary you turn to, the chosen term this year was either Collins's vibe coding", parasocial" from Cambridge Dictionaries or their Oxford University Press rival's rage bait" - with many other selections besides.