“There are six or seven reasons why this phrase needs to be stopped,” says Paul E. from WI. The volume of submissions for this one could have taken up the whole list, at least slots 6-7. The top banishment this year, Scott T. from UT adds, “it’s time for “6-7” to be 86’ed.”
“It’s very said more than very done, and we’re all very done hearing it!” remarks Tammy S. Often used in the phrase ‘very demure, very mindful,’ Madison C. shares that the overuse “waters down the real meaning.”
“Hearing it…my brain feels ‘cooked,’” groans Zac A. from VA. Parents and guardians led the charge on this one, with some feeling this isn’t enough. James C. from WA suggests a ban of “all forms of the word cook,” hoping that hearing them will become rare.
“Way overused! (often incorrectly),” exclaim Don and Gail K. from MN. This word’s massive overuse has secured its place on this year’s list.
In the longstanding effort to turn nouns into verbs, this is another culprit. Two separate submissions likened hearing this word to “nails on a chalkboard.” Patricia from TX asks, “What’s wrong with motivate?”
“For the same reason ‘period’ was banished…redundant punctuation,” explains Marybeth A. from OR.
“There are very few instances when the word actually applies,” notes Jo H. from CA. Often heard during customer service interactions, Char S. from OH wonders: “How do they know it’s perfect…what does that mean?”
“I found this on the 1994 list, but it will make me feel better to recommend that it be included once again,” reveals James S. from OK. Another case of a noun being used as a verb.
In the 1998 banishment, Elizabeth P. from MI suggested, “students and adults sound infantile when using this to apologize.” The phrase hasn’t matured in credibility since then. Andrea R. from OH shared, “It does not convey much meaning in the way of an apology.”
First banished in 1994, this saying has strayed from the positive message it once intended to deliver. “What started as a phrase with emotional support overtones has now become absurdly overused,” asserts Kevin B. from the United Kingdom.
Lake Superior State University Announces 50th Annual Banished Words List
January 1, 2026
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – It’s time for a golden anniversary. Celebrating five decades of linguistic commentary, Lake Superior State University (LSSU) presents the 50th annual Banished Words List, a tradition highlighting the importance and evolution of language.
What began as a whimsical New Year’s Eve party idea in 1976, has grown into a global reflection on the words that wear out their welcome. Since former public relations director W.T. (Bill) Rabe showcased the first “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English because of mis-, mal-, over-use, or general uselessness,” LSSU has carried the torch.
The entries continue a tongue-in-cheek commentary on language, catchphrases, and corporate jargon. Over 1,400 submissions were entrusted to LSSU this year, pouring in from all 50 U.S. states, and as far as Uzbekistan, Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, and many more.
Here are this year’s golden class of banishments and rationale:
“There are six or seven reasons why this phrase needs to be stopped,” says Paul E. from WI. The volume of submissions for this one could have taken up the whole list, at least slots 6-7. The top banishment this year, Scott T. from UT adds, “it’s time for “6-7” to be 86’ed.”
“It’s very said more than very done, and we’re all very done hearing it!” remarks Tammy S. Often used in the phrase ‘very demure, very mindful,’ Madison C. shares that the overuse “waters down the real meaning.”
“Hearing it…my brain feels ‘cooked,’” groans Zac A. from VA. Parents and guardians led the charge on this one, with some feeling this isn’t enough. James C. from WA suggests a ban of “all forms of the word cook,” hoping that hearing them will become rare.
“Way overused! (often incorrectly),” exclaim Don and Gail K. from MN. This word’s massive overuse has secured its place on this year’s list.
In the longstanding effort to turn nouns into verbs, this is another culprit. Two separate submissions likened hearing this word to “nails on a chalkboard.” Patricia from TX asks, “What’s wrong with motivate?”
“For the same reason ‘period’ was banished…redundant punctuation,” explains Marybeth A. from OR.
“There are very few instances when the word actually applies,” notes Jo H. from CA. Often heard during customer service interactions, Char S. from OH wonders: “How do they know it’s perfect…what does that mean?”
“I found this on the 1994 list, but it will make me feel better to recommend that it be included once again,” reveals James S. from OK. Another case of a noun being used as a verb.
In the 1998 banishment, Elizabeth P. from MI suggested, “students and adults sound infantile when using this to apologize.” The phrase hasn’t matured in credibility since then. Andrea R. from OH shared, “It does not convey much meaning in the way of an apology.”
First banished in 1994, this saying has strayed from the positive message it once intended to deliver. “What started as a phrase with emotional support overtones has now become absurdly overused,” asserts Kevin B. from the United Kingdom.
That concludes this year’s banishments. However, 50 years of lists have shown one thing: sometimes one placement just isn’t enough. To commemorate this golden milestone, LSSU looks back at some “Repeat Offenders” that received multiple banishments.
For half a century, the Banished Words List has served as a reminder that language is always evolving. Lake Superior State University remains grateful to the thousands of participants who share their linguistic frustrations year after year to keep this tradition alive.
To nominate a word or phrase for the 2027 Banished Words List, or to learn more about the tradition, visit lssu.edu/traditions/banishedwords.
About Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University is a close-knit university in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where many faculty and staff know students by name. Founded in 1946, LSSU offers a unique personal education shaped by its size, setting, and spirit of community. The University’s one-rate tuition seeks to make education accessible to all students. Learn more at www.lssu.edu.
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In 1976, the late and ingenious Lake Superior State University Public Relations Director W.T. (Bill) Rabe released the first tongue-in-cheek “banished words list” as a safeguard against misuse, overuse, and uselessness of the English language—and as an imaginative publicity stunt. National and international reaction from the news media and the general public was so enthusiastic that Rabe predicted the Banished Words List, as he put it, “would go on forever.”
Forever may be stretching it, but the annual Banished Words List shows no signs of stopping. Over the decades, people across the U.S. and around the world have nominated tens of thousands of words and phrases that bother them for banishment. Examples of the 1,000-plus entries to make the yearly compilation include “detente,” “surely,” “classic,” and “bromance,” plus “wrap my head around,” “user friendly,” “at this point in time,” and “viable alternative.”
The lighthearted Banished Words List began as a promotional ploy for little-known LSSU. The university was established in 1946 as a branch of Michigan College of Mining and Technology for returning World War II veterans. Lake Superior State College became autonomous in 1970 and developed into Lake Superior State University in 1987. Signature programs now include fisheries and wildlife management, engineering, nursing, criminal justice, business, robotics engineering, kinesiology, and fire science. In 2019, LSSU launched the first cannabis chemistry program in the nation. LSSU also was the first campus nationwide to offer an accredited four-year fire science program; it is one of three in the U.S. LSSU was the first campus nationwide to offer an accredited four-year robotics engineering technology program and is the only university nationwide to offer undergraduate education in industrial robotics.
The charm of the Banished Words List grew out of the enchantment of an earlier creation by Rabe: Unicorn Hunters. Upon arriving to LSSU in 1971, Rabe, who had earlier made a name for himself as a PR guru in Detroit, realized that the school was still largely thought of as an offshoot of Michigan Tech, if known at all. To help rectify that, he, along with English Department professors, founded a group who quested the legendary horned creatures. The Unicorn Hunters garnered all sorts of positive attention over the years from media and devotees alike until LSSU’s Unicorn Hunters retired with Rabe in 1987—although the university continues to grant unicorn hunting licenses to anyone who wants one through its singular Department of Natural Unicorns.
From Rabe and associates and LSSU’s Unicorn Hunters sprung all sorts of other serious play, original ideas, and clever initiatives, including two that also continue to this day: an annual Snowman Burning the first day of spring since 1971, given the voluminous snowfall in the Upper Peninsula—and the world-famous Banished Words List, announced at the end of each year a) because that’s often a slow-news period, as Rabe, a former newspaperman, knew, and b) so that people start the New Year on the right foot, er, tongue.
The first list was dreamed up by Rabe and friends at a New Year’s Eve party in 1975. The following day, he released the list. After Rabe retired, the university copyrighted the concept and continued the idiosyncratic serious play. Rabe’s brainstorms resulted in three interlinked and now spun-off traditions: Unicorn Hunters, which gave rise to Snowman Burning and Banished Words.
