Polish Youth Word of the Year 2026: final 12 announced, including "płakał" and "brokuł"
On 3 November 2026 the Polish publisher PWN announced the 12 finalists in the Youth Word of the Year contest. Voting runs until 30 November, and the result will be announced in December.
Author: Editorial teamPublished: 2 min read
Contents
The Polish publisher Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN announced the final 12 in the Youth Word of the Year 2026 contest on 3 November 2026. The list shows which words young people in Poland use today, including online.
The finalists
The finalists are: aura (aura farming), bro, brokuł, kukiriniarz, larp (larpować), son, peak, płakał, slop, spływka, tuff and unc. They were chosen from the entries most often submitted by internet users that also met all of the contest's rules.
Several of the words have clear English roots. "Tuff" is a slang variant of the English "tough" and means something attractive, fashionable and admired. "Unc" comes from "uncle", which in Polish is "wujek". "Peak" means excellent or top quality, or the highest form of something. According to the organisers, "aura farming" means deliberately building an impression of "aura" through impressive, seemingly effortless gestures and styling. The phrase can also be an ironic comment on trying too hard to win admiration.
"Płakał" and Dorota Wellman
The word attracting the most attention is "płakał" ("he cried"). The organisers describe it as a mocking comment about someone who has been embarrassed, defeated or stripped of confidence. The phrase comes from a remark by the journalist Dorota Wellman on the podcast "Imponderabilia". She talked about meeting an internet troll who, by her account, cried and apologised for his offensive posts when confronted in person. The quote later became a meme.
How to vote and what happens next
Voting runs until 30 November 2026. Entries are submitted through a form on the website of the organiser, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN. The contest will be decided in December. The jury includes Anna Wileczek of Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce and Bartek Chaciński of the weekly "Polityka". Last year's winner was "szponcić".
What this means for you
The contest is open to internet users, so people living abroad can also take part. It is a chance to see the language used by young people in Poland. That is especially relevant for families whose children and teenagers keep in touch with relatives and friends there.
Sources
- Youth Word of the Year 2026. The final twelve
- Broccoli, Kukiriniarz and Slop. Meet the finalists for Youth Word of the Year 2026
- Kukiriniarz, broccoli and "płakał" in the final twelve of the Youth Word of the Year poll
- They are competing for the title of Youth Word of the Year 2026. One of them was made famous by Dorota Wellman
This article was prepared automatically by AI from the listed sources and published without prior editorial review. Spotted a mistake? Use the “Report an error in this article” button.
Photos
- Cover: „pokemon, pokemongo, friends, school, internet”, author: natureaddict, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
- Photo 1: „hallelujah, dictionary, page, light, book”, author: InTellIGentFan, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
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