The key facts
- Ten words made it to the 'Word of the Year — 2026' final, five of them about technology and AI: 'vibecoding', 'generate', 'data center', 'AI agent', 'iishka'
- Survey of 600 schoolchildren aged 14–15: 44% worry about the future, 41% are tired of studying, 78% already use neural networks
- The winner will be named by more than 400 linguists in early December
Ten finalists and an 'X-ray of society'
The shortlist of the 'Word of the Year — 2026' competition, run by Gramota.ru, has brought together ten words: alongside 'trevozhnik' (anxious person) and 'vibecoding', it includes 'iishka', 'vozdukhan', 'dopamine', 'prime era', 'niche', 'generate', 'data center' and 'AI agent'. Five of the ten finalists are in one way or another connected with technology and artificial intelligence. Sociologist, director of the Association of Organizers of Student Olympiads 'Ya — Professional' Valeria Kasamara, in a conversation with Life.ru, called such a list an 'X-ray of society', and the joint appearance of 'trevozhnik' and 'vibecoding' — 'an absolutely accurate diagnosis'. The winner will be chosen by more than 400 linguists in early December.
What lies behind the juxtaposition of the two words
In Kasamara's view, the two leaders of the shortlist describe two sides of a single process: a person feels overloaded and at the same time looks for tools that help cope with tasks faster. 'These are two sides of the same coin: total anxiety and the search for quick tools to deal with this overload,' Life.ru quotes her as saying.
Schoolchildren survey: anxiety and neural networks
The sociologist backs up her interpretation with a study by the 'Ya — Professional' Association conducted among 600 Russian schoolchildren aged 14–15. According to it, 44% of respondents worry about the future, 41% experience fatigue and overload from studying, and 37% fear failing to meet others' expectations. At the same time, 78% of respondents already use neural networks: 71% use AI for studying, and 53% use it instead of regular search engines.
'Niche' and slang labels
Another marker of the times, according to Kasamara, is the word 'niche' and the spread of slang labels for human personality types. Generation Alpha, she explains, is growing up in a fragmented digital environment: instead of shared idols, young people have many small interest-based communities, and label-words help them quickly signal their identity — 'I belong to this niche'. 'The Word of the Year shortlist reflects how language captures our attempt not to break down in an era of acceleration: we are anxious, we look for quick solutions with the help of AI, and at the same time we hide in our small, familiar niches so that it is not so scary there,' the expert concluded. It should be noted that this is one specialist's interpretation: the final word of the year will be announced in early December based on the linguists' vote.
