Lake Superior State University’s (LSSU) banished words list is intended to be lighthearted, highlighting words or terms that are misused, overused and considered to be useless by enthusiasts. For the purpose of this WordsRated analysis, the banished words list has been split into single words as well as terms which contain multiple words.
- Over the given period (2012 – 2013), 97 words and 71 terms were entered to the banished words list.
- When combined, a total of 168 words and terms were added.
- Annually this averages to 14 words/terms added to the list.
- Or alternatively it can be seen as 8.08 words added per year and 5.92 terms added each year.
- Words were 1.37 times more likely to be added to the list than terms.
- A total of 6 hyphenated words were added to the list, making up 6.19% of the given words.
- The words “AMAZING” and “CURATED” were the only words to be entered into the list in multiple years (each present for 2 years).
- “COVFEFE” is a nonsensical term that became an internet meme in 2017 after being used in a tweet by the US President at the time, Donald Trump (presumably in error).
- In 2017 the number 831 was added, a texting encryption which signifies the term “I LOVE YOU” through its 8 letters, 3 words and 1 meaning.
- It should be noted that some of the banished words/terms in the list are partial and apply to several words/terms.
Banished words by year
A list of Lake Superior State University’s banished words from 2012 – 2023 is given below:
- Over the given 12-year period, 97 banished words were entered into the list.
- On average, this amounts to 8.08 words per year.
- Most frequently, banished words are made up of 6 characters (12.37%).
- The longest word added was 14 characters in length including its hyphen, “FRIEND-RAISING”.
- The 2-letter word “SO” was added in 2016, making it the shortest word in the list.
- Words beginning with “C” are the most frequently banished words, making up 12.37% of all words.
- However, the most common last character for banished words is “E”, which accounts for 17.53% of words.
- 15 banished words were listed in 2019, which is more than any other year listed.
- 2022 did not see any banished words enter the list, although 10 banished terms were entered.
| # | Banished word | Characters | First character | Last character | Year |
| 1 | ABSOLUTELY | 10 | A | Y | 2023 |
| 2 | AMAZING | 7 | A | G | 2023 |
| 3 | GASLIGHTING | 11 | G | G | 2023 |
| 4 | GOAT | 4 | G | T | 2023 |
| 5 | IRREGARDLESS | 12 | I | S | 2023 |
| 6 | COVID-19 | 8 | C | 9 | 2021 |
| 7 | COVID | 5 | C | D | 2021 |
| 8 | CORONAVIRUS | 11 | C | S | 2021 |
| 9 | RONA | 4 | R | A | 2021 |
| 10 | KAREN | 5 | K | N | 2021 |
| 11 | PIVOT | 5 | P | T | 2021 |
| 12 | SUS | 3 | S | S | 2021 |
| 13 | UNPRECEDENTED | 13 | U | D | 2021 |
| 14 | ARTISANAL | 9 | A | L | 2020 |
| 15 | CHIRP | 5 | C | P | 2020 |
| 16 | CURATED | 7 | C | D | 2020 |
| 17 | INFLUENCER | 10 | I | R | 2020 |
| 18 | JELLY | 5 | J | Y | 2020 |
| 19 | LITERALLY | 9 | L | Y | 2020 |
| 20 | MOUTHFEEL | 9 | M | L | 2020 |
| 21 | TOTES | 5 | T | S | 2020 |
| 22 | VIBE | 4 | V | E | 2020 |
| 23 | ACCOUTREMENTS | 13 | A | S | 2019 |
| 24 | COLLUSION | 9 | C | N | 2019 |
| 25 | CRUSTY | 6 | C | Y | 2019 |
| 26 | ESCHEW | 6 | E | W | 2019 |
| 27 | GHOSTING | 8 | G | G | 2019 |
| 28 | GRAPPLE | 7 | G | E | 2019 |
| 29 | IMPORTANTLY | 11 | I | Y | 2019 |
| 30 | LITIGATE | 8 | L | E | 2019 |
| 31 | OPTICS | 6 | O | S | 2019 |
| 32 | POTUS | 5 | P | S | 2019 |
| 33 | FLOTUS | 6 | F | S | 2019 |
| 34 | SCOTUS | 6 | S | S | 2019 |
| 35 | PLATFORM | 8 | P | M | 2019 |
| 36 | WHEELHOUSE | 10 | W | E | 2019 |
| 37 | YEET | 4 | Y | T | 2019 |
| 38 | COVFEFE | 7 | C | E | 2018 |
| 39 | DISH | 4 | D | H | 2018 |
| 40 | IMPACTFUL | 9 | I | L | 2018 |
| 41 | NOTHINGBURGER | 13 | N | R | 2018 |
| 42 | ONBOARDING | 10 | O | G | 2018 |
| 43 | OFFBOARDING | 11 | O | G | 2018 |
| 44 | PRE-OWNED | 9 | P | D | 2018 |
| 45 | TONS | 4 | T | S | 2018 |
| 46 | UNPACK | 6 | U | K | 2018 |
| 47 | 831 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 2017 |
| 48 | BIGLY | 5 | B | Y | 2017 |
| 49 | DADBOD | 6 | D | D | 2017 |
| 50 | DISRUPTION | 10 | D | N | 2017 |
| 51 | FOCUS | 5 | F | S | 2017 |
| 52 | FRANKENFRUIT | 12 | F | T | 2017 |
| 53 | GHOST | 5 | G | T | 2017 |
| 54 | GUESSTIMATE | 11 | G | E | 2017 |
| 55 | HISTORIC | 8 | H | C | 2017 |
| 56 | LISTICLE | 8 | L | E | 2017 |
| 57 | MANICURED | 9 | M | D | 2017 |
| 58 | POST-TRUTH | 10 | P | H | 2017 |
| 59 | CONVERSATION | 12 | C | N | 2016 |
| 60 | MANSPREADING | 12 | M | G | 2016 |
| 61 | PHYSICALITY | 11 | P | Y | 2016 |
| 62 | PRESSER | 7 | P | R | 2016 |
| 63 | PROBLEMATIC | 11 | P | C | 2016 |
| 64 | STAKEHOLDER | 11 | S | R | 2016 |
| 65 | SO | 2 | S | O | 2016 |
| 66 | VAPE | 4 | V | E | 2016 |
| 67 | BAE | 3 | B | E | 2015 |
| 68 | CRA-CRA | 7 | C | A | 2015 |
| 69 | CURATE | 6 | C | E | 2015 |
| 70 | CURATED | 7 | C | D | 2015 |
| 71 | FOODIE | 6 | F | E | 2015 |
| 72 | FRIEND-RAISING | 14 | F | G | 2015 |
| 73 | HACK | 4 | H | K | 2015 |
| 74 | -NATION | 7 | – | N | 2015 |
| 75 | SWAG | 4 | S | G | 2015 |
| 76 | TAKEAWAY | 8 | T | Y | 2015 |
| 77 | -AGEDDON | 8 | – | N | 2014 |
| 78 | -POCALYPSE | 10 | – | E | 2014 |
| 79 | ADVERSITY | 9 | A | Y | 2014 |
| 80 | HASHTAG | 7 | H | G | 2014 |
| 81 | OBAMACARE | 9 | O | E | 2014 |
| 82 | SELFIE | 6 | S | E | 2014 |
| 83 | T-BONE | 6 | T | E | 2014 |
| 84 | TWERK | 5 | T | K | 2014 |
| 85 | TWERKING | 8 | T | G | 2014 |
| 86 | TWITTERSPHERE | 13 | T | E | 2014 |
| 87 | GURU | 4 | G | U | 2013 |
| 88 | PASSION | 7 | P | N | 2013 |
| 89 | PASSIONATE | 10 | P | E | 2013 |
| 90 | SUPERFOOD | 9 | S | D | 2013 |
| 91 | TRENDING | 8 | T | G | 2013 |
| 92 | YOLO | 4 | Y | O | 2013 |
| 93 | AMAZING | 7 | A | G | 2012 |
| 94 | BLOWBACK | 8 | B | K | 2012 |
| 95 | GINORMOUS | 9 | G | S | 2012 |
| 96 | OCCUPY | 6 | O | Y | 2012 |
| 97 | TRICKERATION | 12 | T | N | 2012 |
A graph is given below to show the frequency of characters for banished words:
A graph is given below to show the most frequent first characters for banished words:
A graph is given below to show the most frequent last characters for banished words:
A graph is given below to show the number of banished words listed per year:
Did you know, some of the banished 5-letter words can be played in Wordle? However, if you prefer other word games, our solver allows you to find the perfect word for your next turn.
Banished terms by year
A list of Lake Superior State University’s banished terms from 2012 – 2023 is given below:
- For the given period, 71 terms were added to SSSU’s list.
- This amounts to 5.92 number of terms added per year on average.
- Most frequently, banished terms are made up of just 2 words (60.56%).
- More banished terms were made up of 2 words than all other word counts combined.
- The maximum number of words in a banished term was 6.
- Three terms were made up of 6 words, “AT THE END OF THE DAY”, “MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR TIME” and “KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD”.
- The highest number of banished terms added in a year was in 2022, which saw 10 terms added.
- In contrast, the lowest number of banished terms added in a year was during 2015, where only 3 terms were added.
| # | Banished term | Number of words | Year |
| 1 | DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? | 4 | 2023 |
| 2 | INFLECTION POINT | 2 | 2023 |
| 3 | IT IS WHAT IT IS | 5 | 2023 |
| 4 | MOVING FORWARD | 2 | 2023 |
| 5 | QUIET QUITTING | 2 | 2023 |
| 6 | ASKING FOR A FRIEND | 4 | 2022 |
| 7 | AT THE END OF THE DAY | 6 | 2022 |
| 8 | CIRCLE BACK | 2 | 2022 |
| 9 | DEEP DIVE | 2 | 2022 |
| 10 | NEW NORMAL | 2 | 2022 |
| 11 | NO WORRIES | 2 | 2022 |
| 12 | SUPPLY CHAIN | 2 | 2022 |
| 13 | THAT BEING SAID | 3 | 2022 |
| 14 | WAIT, WHAT? | 2 | 2022 |
| 15 | YOU’RE ON MUTE | 3 | 2022 |
| 16 | I KNOW, RIGHT? | 3 | 2021 |
| 17 | IN AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION | 5 | 2021 |
| 18 | IN THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES | 4 | 2021 |
| 19 | SOCIAL DISTANCING | 2 | 2021 |
| 20 | WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER | 5 | 2021 |
| 21 | I MEAN | 2 | 2020 |
| 22 | LIVING MY BEST LIFE | 4 | 2020 |
| 23 | OK, BOOMER | 2 | 2020 |
| 24 | QUID PRO QUO | 3 | 2020 |
| 25 | VIBE CHECK | 2 | 2020 |
| 26 | IN THE BOOKS | 3 | 2019 |
| 27 | LEGALLY DRUNK | 2 | 2019 |
| 28 | MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR TIME | 6 | 2019 |
| 29 | THOUGHT LEADER | 2 | 2019 |
| 30 | WRAP MY HEAD AROUND | 4 | 2019 |
| 31 | DRILL DOWN | 2 | 2018 |
| 32 | FAKE NEWS | 2 | 2018 |
| 33 | GIG ECONOMY | 2 | 2018 |
| 34 | HOT WATER HEATER | 3 | 2018 |
| 35 | LET ME ASK YOU THIS | 5 | 2018 |
| 36 | LET THAT SINK IN | 4 | 2018 |
| 37 | BÊTE NOIRE | 2 | 2017 |
| 38 | ECHO CHAMBER | 2 | 2017 |
| 39 | GET YOUR DANDRUFF UP | 4 | 2017 |
| 40 | ON FLEEK | 2 | 2017 |
| 41 | SELFIE DRONE | 2 | 2017 |
| 42 | TOWN HALL MEETING | 3 | 2017 |
| 43 | YOU SIR | 2 | 2017 |
| 44 | BREAK THE INTERNET | 3 | 2016 |
| 45 | GIVING ME LIFE | 3 | 2016 |
| 46 | PRICE POINT | 2 | 2016 |
| 47 | SECRET SAUCE | 2 | 2016 |
| 48 | WALK IT BACK | 3 | 2016 |
| 49 | ENHANCED INTERROGATION | 2 | 2015 |
| 50 | POLAR VORTEX | 2 | 2015 |
| 51 | SKILL SET | 2 | 2015 |
| 52 | _ ON STEROIDS | 3 | 2014 |
| 53 | FAN BASE | 2 | 2014 |
| 54 | INTELLECTUALLY BANKRUPT | 2 | 2014 |
| 55 | MORALLY BANKRUPT | 2 | 2014 |
| 56 | MISTER MOM | 2 | 2014 |
| 57 | BONELESS WINGS | 2 | 2013 |
| 58 | BUCKET LIST | 2 | 2013 |
| 59 | DOUBLE DOWN | 2 | 2013 |
| 60 | FISCAL CLIFF | 2 | 2013 |
| 61 | JOB CREATORS | 2 | 2013 |
| 62 | JOB CREATION | 2 | 2013 |
| 63 | KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD | 6 | 2013 |
| 64 | SPOILER ALERT | 2 | 2013 |
| 65 | BABY BUMP | 2 | 2012 |
| 66 | MAN CAVE | 2 | 2012 |
| 67 | PET PARENT | 2 | 2012 |
| 68 | SHARED SACRIFICE | 2 | 2012 |
| 69 | THANK YOU IN ADVANCE | 4 | 2012 |
| 70 | THE NEW NORMAL | 3 | 2012 |
| 71 | WIN THE FUTURE | 3 | 2012 |
A graph is given below to show the frequency of words in a banished term:
A graph is given below to show the number of banished terms listed per year:
Banished words FAQ
When did the banished words list start?
- The banished words list began in 1976 on New Year’s Day.
- It was initially intended to function as a promotional tactic for the University.
- After gaining popularity, the concept was copyrighted by LSSU and new lists still continue to be added each year.
Why did the banished words list start?
- LSSU’s list is intended to highlight words and terms from the Queen’s English for being misused, overused or for being considered useless.
- Each year, a number of words/terms are added, with many being those that have significantly risen in popularity over their corresponding period.
How are banished words nominated?
- Enthusiasts are encouraged to find words that meet the requirements throughout the year.
- Often, words are submitted from everyday speech but can also typically come from:
- Advertising
- Education
- News
- Politics
- Technology