‘Gaslighting’: The Word Of The Year

The word nerds at Merriam-Webster have crunched the numbers, based on searches on their website, and they've hit us with the word of the year. Gaslighting.

The word really didn't make a blip on the radar of search terms until 2016. Back then, "gaslighting" was likely lighting gas on fire. Now it means something much different.

Merriam-Webster.com's definition of 'gaslighting' might ring a bell or two to people who have seen it with their own two eyes.

If you've seen it, you hate it. If you just read the definition, your blood boils. It turns out the word has become so popular over the last 5+ years that it often is one of the, if not the, most searched words daily. According to the website, the word was looked up on the website 1,740% more than it was last year. Unlike past years, there was not one single event that caused the word to explode in popularity.

The 1938 play "Gas Light" is the likely start of the word. In the play, a husband tries to convince the dimming of the gaslights in their home was her imagination which it wasn't. While the term was never in wide use before 2015, it has certainly become one of the most popular terms of today.

Many words didn't make the cut for "word of the year" from the dictionary barons. They include "oligarch", "Omicron" and "sentient".

So, stop gaslighting so much and lets get this word off of our minds, eh?!

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The English language is often called the most difficult to master. No kidding! With so many rules, and some of the most famous rules are incorrect (looking at you I before E except after C), it can be tough trying to pronounce or spell some common words.

Our co-worker Slone is one of the brightest people you'll ever meet. Not only in smarts but in spirit. Today, she walked into the studio and we heard a word we had never heard before.

"buhr-GO-zhen-ing".

Everyone in the room looked at each other puzzled. It sounded like a familiar word but... we couldn't quite place it. "Can you use that in a sentence," we asked, puzzled.

"Well... like... she was 'buhr-GO-zhen-ing' in her career. Or a 'buhr-GO-zhen-ing' flower." At that point we all understood what she was trying to say, but questioned our own pronunciation of "burgeoning".

We had Slone sit down, cracked the microphones and the video above is what transpired. Turns out, Slone had pronounced it correctly for years until a former co-worker in the building had her convinced - no - it's 'buhr-GO-zhen-ing'. Whether he was playing a prank on her or genuinely believed that, who knows.

The English language can be confounding at times, and occasionally it can be difficult to pronounce, or spell, a word we come across often. So here's some words to know so you can sound smart to your friends.

So, without further ado, here is our list of the top 15 most difficult words to pronounce:

This one has confounded English speakers for years. Is it “kernel” or “kurnl”? The correct pronunciation is actually “kurnl”, with the R being silent.

Two I's? An S that isn't really an S? It's pronounced “lee-ay-zohn”, and it means having a close bond or connection - it's not lesbian. That's a different word.

Much to the chagrin of creators everywhere, it is actually pronounced with a hard G as in “gift”, not like the peanut butter brand Jif. Sorry to make you question everything.

Say it with us: “uhg-nahs-tih-siz-uhm”. It's for people who believe nothing is, or can be, known about a higher power.

That frickin' sauce. We all say "wuh-stir-shy-er" but no. It's "wu-stuh-shr".

This healthy superfood looks like an alien the first time you see it. The "Qu-" makes you think "Kw" sound like "Queen" but no. The correct way to say it is “keen-wa”.

This is subtle (another hard word to say for some)... That E? It's a silent letter. It is actually pronounced “ih-PID-uh-mee”.

The irony! It’s pronounced “pruh-nuhn-see-ay-shuhn”, not “pruh-NOUN-see-ay-shuhn”.

Say it with a little Italian flair, it’s “ehs-press-oh”, not “expresso”.

Former Presidents George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter had some issues with this word. We all have. It's "NEW-clee-er" not "nuke-YOU-ler" or "new-CUE-ler".

This French term is commonly mispronounced as “whores-duh-vres”, when it should actually be pronounced “or-derv”.

Another French word, this one is often mispronounced as “pay-tay” when it should actually be pronounced “pah-tay”.

It's when a word is made by the sound it makes. Like "sizzle" or "cuckoo". It's "ah-nah-maa-tuh-pee-uh". Not whatever the heck you think it is.

This is Yiddish term for what Kanye West has. “HOUTS-pah” is how you say it. Don't come throwing that C at us.

It's that berry that's trendy. It's not "ACK-eye". It's "ah-sah-ee". See?

Googling the dictionary definition of "dictionary" should cause the internet to crash, but amazingly it works. It is defined as "a book or electronic resource that lists the words of a language and gives their meaning". While sure, English has a set amount of words, sometimes slang words BECOME real words. That's what Merriam-Webster just did.

From time to time, the original gangsters of vernacular take a look at pop culture and the words being used. If a word is used for long enough, and becomes widely adopted, they consider it for addition to their dictionary. This time around, they are adding 370 words and terms to their online edition.

The last time they made a bulk-addition to their pages was back in October 2021. From "TBH" (to be honest) to "breakthrough" (used medically, to speak of someone who is fully vaccinated but still gets sick), "fluffernutter" (sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow creme) to "dad bod" (what most American men have)... they covered the gamut.

This year features several different categories of words, from technology to food and more. This obviously comes from Merriam-Webster, the first name many of us think of. But other dictionary brands do this from time to time as well. Dictionary.com added several words in the Spring. No disrespect intended, unless Merriam-Webster says it, it's kind of made up isn't it? The company was founded 191 years ago and have been in the word business the entire time. (Now they are owned by Encyclopedia Britannica, which broke many bookshelves back in the day).

Let's take a look at some of our favorite new words and keep our eye to Twitter, TikTok and whatever your kid is saying on the phone to their friends to figure out next year's new words.

It's the opposite of a smartphone, with no web browser, email or apps.

This seems like overkill considering just last year they added "doorbell camera".

The thing you'll end up wearing to ignore your family.

What happens to your internet when your husband won't get off the "metaverse".

To make something look like it is environmentally friendly, when it is actually destroying the planet. Like coal, or constantly selling electronics that are subject to forced obsolescence and all the components are so glued together that proper recycling cannot happen.

It's like greenwashing, but for everything else. Talking a lot about how much you care about something, without actually doing anything about it.

The reason a car costs too much, you couldn't buy a video card for a year, and your favorite Halloween decorations may not be available. Issues down the "supply chain" caused issues for you.

It's exactly what it sounds like. People throw high-powered magnets into rivers, lakes, creeks and oceans to attempt to fish something metal, and potentially valuable, out of the water. The videos will astound you.

It's like the military but in space.

It's used to express enthusiasm OR to "throw especially with force without regard for being thrown". So you can exclaim "YEET" if the person you ask out on a date says yes, or say you want to "yeet yourself off a mountain" if they say no.

Something that is pretty bad quality or just not working like it should.

You go to the strip club for the FOOD ONLY?! Yeah, that's sus.

Such a nerd, but so cute...

What you had to do back in the day with tin-foil and the antenna to get a certain TV station, or using a paper clip as a fork. To make something with what you have on hand.

Looking outrageously lavish...

How we feel watching the audition rounds of "America's Got Talent", or watching most politicians talk.

When, instead of higher costs being passed on to the consumer, companies shrink portion size to keep items at the same price, but give them less product.

A Vietnamese sandwich... which have been around for years. But now it's in the English dictionary, so that's impressive.

Now officially the most basic thing in the dictionary.