The word children chose as their word of the year for 2025

21 Jan 2026 • 9:02 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Oxford University Press (OUP) has announced peace as the children's word of the year for 2025, based on a survey of nearly 5,000 children aged six to 14.
  • Peace was chosen by 35 per cent of children, with AI and resilience being the next most popular choices.
  • One in ten children cited ongoing conflicts, such as those in Ukraine and Gaza, as reasons for selecting peace.
  • OUP's research also revealed a 60 per cent increase in mentions of peace in children's stories submitted to the BBC 500 Words competition since 2015.
  • Six-seven was overwhelmingly voted as the children's slang word of the year, with 47 per cent of votes, valued for promoting inclusivity and social connection.

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