Climate change is Children's 2023 Word of the Year, says OUP

Climate change often made children feel scared, worried or sad, researchers found

Climate change has been chosen as the Children's Word of the Year following a survey by Oxford University Press of more than 5,000 children across the UK.

In total, a third of children (33%) said climate change was their word of the year for 2023, the word war came second (31%) and coronation came third (24%).

The publisher's research has often found that current events have a big impact on children's choices and their language.

Read on to find out why these words were chosen and what else the research found.

The Oxford University Press asked more than 5,000 children what their word of the year was for 2023

Oxford University Press has been running the Children's Word of the Year since 2014.

It said current events often influenced children's choice of the most popular word.

Coronavirus was the chosen word of 2020 and queen the top word of 2022.

Many children in this year's survey said the phrase "climate change" made them feel "scared", "sad" and "worried".

The survey found that current events had influenced children's choices

For the children who chose war as their top word of 2023, 13% said they had chosen it because of the news.

Many of them referenced the war between Russia and Ukraine or ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, like the Israel-Gaza war.

And those who chose coronation as their top word gave the coronation of King Charles III as their reason.

The Oxford University Press also found that slang words like bro and slay were often used in positive ways.

Researchers said bro was often used in a way to help connect with someone, while also telling them off at the same time, and is described as "positive politeness".

King Charles III made coronation the third most popular word of 2023 among children

Helen Freeman, director of Oxford University Press' children's division, said the choice of climate change as word of the year showed how willing children were "to engage with meaningful change".

What do you think of climate change as the word of the year?

Do you agree with the results of the survey? And what would be your word of the year?

Let us know in the comments below.