Words of the year: Real or Memorex?
Sholeh Patrick
That headline is rather unfair to younger readers, but those of a “certain age” undoubtedly remember the cassette brand commercials: Is it real, or is it Memorex? Which means you’d get it if I say 2023’s Words of the Year fit the same theme.
Short answer: It’s Memorex.
In decades-long tradition major dictionaries select a word of the year representing America’s cultural focus over the past 12 months. At first, these WOTYs were gleaned from frequent appearances in newspaper headlines. Then in the 2000s that shifted; while most still use headlines as part of the selection criteria, all use online lookups to find the most-searched words.
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