The Top 10 Words of the Decade

Hello, everyone. My name is Emma; and in today's video, I'm going to share with

you something very exciting, and that is my list of the "Top Ten words of this

Decade". So, English is a very interesting language. Why? Because it is

always changing; we continuously get new words in English. So, in this video, I'm

going to teach you about ten different words — one for each decade. So, I'm

going to teach you words that were popular in 2010, 2011, all the way to

2020. For each year, you're going to see one word. And those words are important,

popular, and continue to be used even today. In order to create this list of

my "Top Ten Words of the Decade", I did some research. I looked at a whole bunch

of different dictionaries — from Oxford to dictionary.com, to, you know,

Cambridge; just a whole bunch of different types of dictionaries — and

that helped me to create my list. I also used my own personal experience with

these words; I chose them based on words that I have heard a lot, and continue to

hear. So, I am excited to share with you my list of my "Top Ten Words of the

Decade".

So, the first word I want to talk about is used so commonly today; but back in

2010, it was actually a newer kind of word. It was just gaining popularity

that year. So, what word am I talking about? Well, in 2010, my choice of word

of the year would be the word: "app". So, what is an "app"? An "app" is a

software program that you find on your computer or your phone operating system.

"Apps" have become very popular. Many of us use apps in our everyday life. It's

hard to remember the past before apps, actually. So, here is my example: "I

have many apps on my phone." Now, I know this word might exist in your language

as well. "Apps" is one of those words that has become popular in many

different languages. So, if this is not a new word for you, that's okay. I want

you to think about the pronunciation of this word. Do you pronounce it the same

way as I do? So, I'm pronouncing this as: "app"; almost like an "apple" —

"app". So, this is the word for 2010.

The next word is for 2011. This word also has to do with computers and just

with technology, in general. I have, here, a photo... or not a photo. I have,

here, a drawing of a cloud. So, usually when we're talking about nature, we're

talking about "clouds" that look like this. But in 2011, this word: "cloud"

became popular, and it meant something different. When we're talking about

technology, the "cloud" is the online space, where we do things. For example,

we store data on a "cloud". So, we do different things online, and we refer to

that online space as the "cloud". So: "I upload my photos to the cloud." That

means they're not on my computer; they're somewhere in, you know, this

online space. So, our first two words of the decade have to do with technology.

Our next one's — not so much.

Okay. So, 2012. If you can remember that far, or that long ago — what was a very

popular word in 2012 that continues to be popular today? Well, I did some

research, and a really popular word of 2012 was the word: "hashtag". So, you

might be familiar with this word; it's used a lot. I remember back in maybe

2012, 2013, my grandmother, who had never used the internet before, asked me

to explain a "hashtag" to her. And that was really, really difficult I remember.

So, what is a "hashtag"? Well, simply, it is this number symbol that's followed

by a word or a phrase. "Hashtags" are used mainly on social media or on the

internet. Twitter is a place where you will see a lot of hashtags; same with

Instagram. So, when you see this symbol and a word or a phrase — that's a

"hashtag". So, let me give you an example of a very famous "hashtag":

"Many women used the hashtag #MeToo to discuss sexual harassment."

Okay. So, this next word is actually one of my favorite words of the decade, and

that word is: "binge-watch". So, first, let me explain what this word means, and

then I will tell you why it's my favorite word. When we "binge-watch"

something, it means we watch a lot of episodes of a TV series, or maybe a

Netflix series, and we watch it all in the same day in one setting. Or, sorry,

one sitting. So, I'll give you an example: I was watching Game of Thrones,

and I love that show. So, what did I do? Well, I binge-watched it. I watched an

episode of Game of Thrones; and then once that episode finished, I watched

another episode of Game of Thrones; and then a third episode of Game of Thrones.

So, that's, like, three or four hours of time where I just sat and watched a lot

of the same TV show. So, that's what I mean by "binge-watch". So, we watch a

lot of episodes of a TV series, or a streaming series in one sitting. Can you

think of a show maybe that you have "binge-watched" in the past? You can

write it in the comments below. It will be interesting to see what shows people

really like to binge-watch. So, why is this my favorite of probably the... this

decade list? Well, I have a little secret, and that is: I am a couch

potato. So, what do I mean by "couch potato"? Well, a "couch potato" is a

person who likes to sit on the couch and watch a lot of TV. So, this is my

secret: I am a couch potato. I spend a lot of time watching Netflix and TV. So,

I spend a lot of time binge-watching different TV series. Now, be very

careful with the pronunciation of this word; especially the "g", here. It's a

"je" sound. So, it's not a hard "g"; it's a soft "g". We say: "binge",

"binge-watch". Okay? And, again, this is a verb. So, you can say: "I

binge-watched a lot of shows yesterday." -"What did you do this weekend?" -"Oh, I

just binge-watched my favorite TV program." Okay. So, that is the word for

2013. Let's see what the rest of the decade holds for us.

Okay. So, let's talk about 2014. So, that was quite a while back. What word

became popular in 2014? Well, that is the word: "salty". Now, I have included

this word: "salty" on this list because since 2014... At first, I started to

hear it a little bit; but, now, I hear this word a lot. So, I think this word

has actually become more popular over time. So, what does it mean: "to be

salty"? Well, if you look at this face, I think that will help you to

understand. "Salty" has a negative meaning. If you say someone is "salty",

it means that they are maybe angry, or bitter, or upset. They might be even a

little rude because they are angry. So, I'll give you an example. This is not a

true example, but just imagine: "My brother is salty" — why? — "because I

forgot his birthday". So, I could say: "My brother is angry. My brother is

resentful. He's bitter". But a nice, fun, slang way to say this is: "My

brother is salty." So, with this word, I would use it. I recommend people from

maybe the younger generation to use it because it hasn't really caught on with

people from, you know... in their 50s or 60s. I haven't heard older people using

this word yet. But I've heard this word used by people in their 20s, their

teens, their 30s. So, just be aware that it is slang, but it tends to be the

younger generation that is using this word.

Okay. This word... The next word is for 2015. I have, here, a picture of a

ghost. So, you know, for holidays, like Halloween, or when we watch scary

movies, we often think about "ghost". But there now is another meaning for the

word "ghost". "Ghost" can actually be a verb, so it can be an action. What does

"ghost" mean? Well, here's an example: "My friend, Chloe, hasn't heard from her

date in two weeks." She's tried to call him; she's sent him text messages, but

there's no response. So, what's happening? It's like he's disappeared.

It's like he is a ghost. So, we say: "He ghosted her." So, this verb, I have put

on this list, because I think it represents a cultural phenomenon that is

happening. There are situations where, you know... now there is a lot of online

dating. And so, because of online dating, sometimes you might hear stories

of people "ghosting" each other — this is where they meet for a date, and then

one person just stops all communication. When all communication is stopped by one

person for no reason — we call that: "ghosting". So, again: "ghost" means to

stop communication, but without giving someone a reason. So, it's like they

disappear and it's unexpected.

Okay. So, 2016. 2016 was a very strange year for a lot of reasons, and so you

might be surprised with my choice for the word of the year for 2016. My choice

is the word: "surreal". "Surreal" is an older word, actually. But it actually

became very popular again in 2016. So, why did people start using this word a

lot during 2016? Well, the word: "surreal" means strange or weird. If you

remember what happened in 2016, that was a very important election year in the

United States. So, in 2016, there was an election, and many people said that they

felt like the world was very "surreal", or that it was a very "surreal"

experience. So, whether, you know... if you're an American and you're a Democrat

or a Republican — for many people, 2016 was a different year, and it felt very

"surreal". So, now let's move forward to 2020. The coronavirus has happened. I

don't know about you, but life has become very surreal. So, this means it

has become very strange; very weird, especially compared to before. So, it's

a synonym for "strange" or "weird". And here's the example: "Since the

coronavirus hit, life is surreal." Okay? So, that was 2016. That was a big year.

What about 2017? Well, 2017 — even 2016, but also 2017 — many people started

talking about "fake news". I actually made a video about "fake news" that you

can watch where I explain what it means, and I go into many different examples of

fake news. But why did I choose this word for 2017? Well, that was the year

that we started using it a lot. Here's an example: "There is a lot of fake news

on Facebook." So, what does it mean if it's "fake news"? What do I mean by

"fake news"? Well, "fake news" is disinformation, or lies that is being

presented like it's the real news. So, I made up my own fake news story back in

2017, I think, where I said that Kim Kardashian is actually Michael Jackson.

So, that was my "fake news" story of that year. It's not true, but I made my

own story up. That's an example of "fake news". So, now, let's look at 2018,

2019, and — bum-bum, ba-bum — 2020.

Okay. So, 2018. What happened in 2018? Well, I noticed many of my friends

started talking about "toxic" people in their lives, and all the "toxic" people

they wanted to remove from their lives. Some people were talking about their

"toxic" bosses, or their tox- — sorry — their "toxic" work environments. So,

this is why I chose this word for 2018 — it became very popular then, and it is

still very popular today. "Toxic" has different meanings. The meaning we are

talking about, in this sense, is synonyms for the word: "negative" or

"harmful". So, "toxic" means negative or harmful. So, if I say: "Remove toxic

people from your life", that means: Remove negative people from your life.

"My workplace is toxic." This means: My workplace is a negative environment.

Maybe I have a boss who's not very nice and who puts a lot of pressure on me, or

maybe there's a lot of different stresses at work. So, many people now

use the word: "toxic" when they talk about the negative parts of their life,

specifically people or environment.

So, now 2019. 2019, I chose the word: "influencer". So, what is an

"influencer"? Well, an "influencer" is... if you look over here, it ends in

"er". Usually, in English, many times words that end in "er" are about people.

So, they describe a person. An "influencer" is a person with a large

audience, and they're able to usually convince their audience, you know...

either by using a product or wearing a product, they're often able to convince

their audience to buy products. Many times "influencers" are sponsored by

different companies. They might also convince their fans to live a certain

lifestyle. And remember, the keyword here is: "influence". If you "influence"

someone, it means that you... you help them make a decision on something. So,

here's an example: "Instagram has many different influencers on it." You might

see Kim Kardashian on it. Selena Gomez is another example of an "influencer".

There are many people who became famous on Instagram, and they are considered

"influencers". So, this is a popular word, especially with, you know, people

from the younger generation who really look up to influencers. So, it is

commonly-used nowadays. But if you think about it, this word did not really exist

in the same way ten years ago. So, that brings me to the best part of this whole

video. Now I'm going to tell you what I think the words of 2020 should be.

Okay. So, before I tell you what the year or what the word of 2020 is, I

wanted to tell you about what I consider the runner-up. The runner-up is the

second-place word of 2020. In my opinion, I think this word should be:

"Karen". So, you may have heard the woman's name, "Karen"; it's a very

popular English name. But nowadays it has a different meaning, in addition to

being somebody's name. If you call somebody a "Karen", it can be an insult.

So, here's an example. You might hear someone say: "Oh, she is such a Karen",

or "That's a Karen thing to do". You know: "You sound like a Karen to me."

So, the reason I've included this word is I have seen it used a lot. I've seen

it in the news, I've seen it on social media; it's becoming a very popular

slang word, and it's actually a very controversial word. So, what does it

mean if you call somebody a "Karen" and you're talking about the slang meaning?

Well, it's usually used to describe a woman who is middle-aged — so maybe in

her 40s, 50s, or 60s — and usually it's a white woman. So, the skin color is

white. And this woman is very demanding, very angry, and very entitled. So, for

example, if somebody goes to a restaurant, and they have a great meal,

but they want to complain to a manager anyways — you might call that person a

"Karen". So, this word some people love. I hear many people using this, and

laughing and loving it. Other people don't like this word; they consider it

offensive. So, this means: They think that it is not a nice word to use. So,

whatever your opinion, this word is becoming more popular, so that's why I

included it in today's list. But that is the runner-up.

For the actual word of 2020, in my opinion, one of the most important words

that is being used around the world and that is very specific to 2020, is the

word: "social-distancing". So, let's first look at the pronunciation of this.

"ci", in English actually has, like, a "ch" sound, so: "social",

"social-distance" or "social-⁠distancing". What does it mean

when we practice "social-distancing"? Well, this is a noun, and what it

means... it can also be a verb, too. What it means is that we keep our

physical distance. So, we don't go close to people; we stay far away. Why are

people practicing "social-distancing"? Because of the coronavirus. So, the big

news story of 2020 has been the coronavirus. It has changed how we live

and what we do. And so, now, many people are "socially-distancing". So, they are

not coming close physically; they stay apart. So, here is my example sentence:

"We social-distance due to coronavirus." So, that, my friends is what I consider

2020's word of the year.

I am very curious about your opinions. Maybe in your opinion, there should be a

different word for 2020, or maybe you disagree with some of the earlier words

on my list. I would love to hear from you. So, please write in the comments

what your opinion is on what the word of the year should be. I would also like to

invite you to check out www.engvid.com. There, you can actually do a quiz to

practice all the words that you have seen today — all the words I went over

for each decade. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel. I have many

different videos on all sorts of different English topics and

language-learning topics. Finally, you can check out my website at

www.teacheremma.com. There, you can find some free resources that can help you

with your English journey. So, thank you for watching; and until next time, take

care.