I asked Gemini what its pick for word of the year was, and it told me “As an AI, I don’t have personal feelings or a single ‘pick’.” Fair enough. ChatGPT, on the other hand, was quick to tell me its choice was “agency”, which it suggests reflects the increasingly important question of “how much choice individuals really have” as AI systems become more capable. Yikes.

For the official words of the year, we still have a more reliable, expert source. Lexicographers and dictionary publishers pore through language and internet trends all year long, sometimes polling readers too, before making their selection. It’s telling that at least three of the big publishers chose “slop” – the low-quality, nonsensical text, images and videos often produced by AI – as their word to sum up 2025. Linguist Gail Flanagan gives us an overview of the rest.

Does returning home for Christmas turn you back into a child? Fighting with siblings, being doted on by (or talking back to) your parents? A fascinating experiment in cognitive neuroscience reveals why this experience might also unlock childhood memories. And humans aren’t the only species to gather together at Christmas. Even some solitary animals hunker down with their families in the winter – though perhaps with less dinner table squabbling over politics.

While we don’t pick a word of the year at The Conversation, I’d like to nominate "evidence". It’s at the heart of what we do, and is as important as ever in our polarised world. We're now in to the final two weeks of our campaign, and we're almost two-thirds of the way to our target. Your support as readers helps us share expertise widely. Thank you to all our donors. And if you haven’t already, in these final weeks please consider making a donation today.

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