The paper begins with an introduction to the concept of "Word of the Year" and its significance in tracking linguistic and cultural shifts. It emphasizes categorizing chosen words into specific thematic areas to understand prevailing trends. It focuses on five categories: Internet/Social Media, Political and Economic, Social and Cultural, Environmental, and Technological. The analysis section examines each category individually, providing insights into the vocabulary trends, frequency of word selections, and notable shifts. Statistical analysis and graphical representations are used to present cumulative counts, proportions, and regression analysis for each category, facilitating comprehensive comparisons across the chosen time frame. The findings shed light on linguistic and cultural trends that have shaped the English language. The paper concludes with a discussion of the broader implications and future prospects of "Word of the Year" studies, emphasizing their role in understanding the dynamic nature of language and its intersection with society.

Shiman Xu. Decoding “Word of the Year”: Analyzing Words of Five Categories Spanning 2004-2022. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2024) Vol. 7, Issue 3: 27-33. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2024.070305.

[1] Correa, Carla (November 3, 2021). "Attention, New Englanders: Fluffernutter Is Now a Word". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 5, 2021.

[2] "Timeline: Merriam-Webster Milestones", Merriam-Webster, archived from the original on January 13, (2015), retrieved October 14, 2018

[3] "Merriam-Webster launches 'Word of the Year' online poll". CNET. 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2007-12-29.

[4] Skapinker, Michael (21 December 2012). "Well-chosen words". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2018.

[5] Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year: Frequently Asked Questions (viewed November 20, 2013).

[6] Flexner, Stuart B. (December 15, 1985). "One language, highly divisible". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2008.

[7] Auroux, Sylvain (2006). History of the Language Sciences: an international handbook on the evolution of the study of language from the beginnings to the present. p. 2366. ISBN 3-11-016736-0.

[8] "The Australian National Dictionary Centre | National Museum of Australia". www.nma.gov.au. Retrieved 14 October 2017.

[9] Burridge, Kate (2020). "Chapter 11: History of Australian English". In Willoughby, Louisa (ed.). Australian English Reimagined: Structure, Features and Developments. Routledge. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-367-02939-5.

[10] "Australian National Dictionary Centre's Word of the Year (2016) | Ozwords". ozwords.org. Retrieved October 14, 2017.