Word of the Year 2026: Every Dictionary's Pick So Far and When the Rest Announce

Two dictionaries have named a Word of the Year for 2026 so far: Dictionary.com picked “maxxing” in an article dated Oct. 25, 2026, and Collins Dictionary picked “mogging” on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford University Press (OUP) and Merriam-Webster had not announced a 2026 word as of Nov. 7, 2026. The tracker below lists each one, and the printable version has blank lines to fill in as the rest arrive.

Word of the Year 2026 tracker: every dictionary

Dictionary	2026 word	2026 announcement	Last year’s word and date
Dictionary.com	maxxing	Article dated Oct. 25, 2026; reported Oct. 26	Not listed here
Collins Dictionary	mogging	Tue., Nov. 3, 2026	Not listed here
Cambridge Dictionary	Not yet announced	Not yet announced	“parasocial,” Nov. 18, 2025
Oxford University Press (OUP)	Not yet announced	Not yet announced	“rage bait,” Dec. 1, 2025
Merriam-Webster	Not yet announced	Not yet announced	“slop,” mid-December 2025
American Dialect Society (ADS)	Not yet announced	Vote date not yet announced	“slop,” vote on Jan. 9, 2026

The last column is 2025’s pattern, not a 2026 schedule. Check back as each dictionary posts its pick; the dates in the first two rows are the only 2026 dates confirmed so far. Mark each date on the November 2026 or December 2026 printable calendar as it appears.

What is the Dictionary.com Word of the Year 2026?

Dictionary.com’s own article, dated Oct. 25, 2026, says: “that’s why Dictionary.com’s 2026 Word of the Year is maxxing.” ABC News (Good Morning America) and CBS News both reported the pick on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. ABC News gave the definition as “a word that refers to the practice of pursuing an activity to the fullest or optimizing a certain aspect of your life.”

The article lists four finalists, CBS News reported: Affordability, Data center, Unc and Odyssey.

What is the Collins Word of the Year 2026?

Collins Dictionary named “mogging” as its word of the year, the Associated Press (AP) reported on ABC News on Nov. 3, 2026. The AP describes it as “a slang word meaning to outshine someone or something.” Euronews also confirmed the word that day, and another outlet, listed in our sources, reported that dictionary experts said so on Tuesday. The Collins website blocks automated access, so this rests on those newsrooms rather than on a Collins page. The reports we checked do not list a Collins shortlist.

Time zones matter here: Nov. 3 is the UK date. 1News in New Zealand dated its report Wednesday, Nov. 4, local time.

When do Oxford, Cambridge and Merriam-Webster announce?

None has announced a 2026 date. Last year’s dates are the only guide, and 2026 can differ.

• Cambridge Dictionary: a University of Cambridge news post, published Nov. 18, 2025, said: “Cambridge Dictionary has named ‘parasocial’ as the Word of the Year for 2025.”
• Oxford (OUP): the OUP page for 2025 is dated Dec. 1, 2025. The word was “rage bait,” chosen “after three days of voting in which more than 30,000 people had their say.” OUP has announced no 2026 shortlist or vote.
• Merriam-Webster: its editors “have chosen slop as the 2025 Word of the Year,” announced in mid-December 2025.
• American Dialect Society (ADS): in its 36th annual vote, held Jan. 9, 2026 in New Orleans, the ADS selected “slop” as the Word of the Year for 2025. The 2026 vote date is not yet announced.

Two groups picked the same word for 2025: Merriam-Webster and the ADS both chose “slop.” The 2026 picks so far differ, with “maxxing” at Dictionary.com and “mogging” at Collins.

Why this matters for your calendar

Each dictionary announces on its own day with no shared schedule, so the 2026 list will fill in one entry at a time. If last year’s pattern repeats, Cambridge would come first in late November, then Oxford and Merriam-Webster in December, and the ADS in January; that is a reading of 2025’s dates and not an announced plan. Other December dates are in our December 2026 important dates story, and the awards season is covered in the Golden Globes and Oscars 2027 calendar.