Lake Superior State shared its annual list of “Banished Words” they think we should STOP using in 2026. And every parent on Earth wants this first one to go: “6-7” tops their list of overused terms.
They come up with the list by asking people to submit terms, and it was the most requested term by far. Here are the Top 10:
1. 6-7. One guy wrote in and said “It’s time for 6-7 to be 86’ed.” (Ironically, no one’s sure where the term “86’ed” came from either.)
2. Demure. A TikToker got it trending back in August of 2024.
3. Cooked. Like, “I’m cooked” or “I’m exhausted.” But it can also mean to “give someone space to do their thing.” Like, “She’s an expert at this. Let her cook.”
4. Massive. It can mean “big,” or kids sometimes use it to mean “awesome.”
5. Incentivize. They just think “motivate” or “encourage” are underused now.
6. Full stop. They also banned the word “period” last year. Their take back then was, “We understand your point. No need to verbally punctuate it.”
7. Perfect. They think we should stop using it to mean “good” or “great.” “There are very few instances when [perfect] actually applies.”
8. Gifted when used as a verb. Like, “I gifted them a candle.” Just say you “gave” it to them. They’ve hated that one for a while. It also made their list in 1994.
9. My bad. Another repeat. It made their 1998 list.
10. Reach out. Again, another repeat. It was on their list in 1994.
(At least four other terms have made their list twice: “Absolutely”, “awesome”, “game changer”, and “hot water heater,” because it’s redundant. “Hot” water doesn’t need to be heated.)
(The term “at the end of the day” has made their list three times, in 1999, 2022, and 2024.)
(LSSU)
