The Slang Words and Phrases to be Banned in 2026

While slang words and phrases like “vibe-coding” and “clanker” rose to prominence in 2025, experts have had enough and are banning 10 terms entirely in 2026. Experts from Lake Superior State University have released their Banished Words List, starting with “6,7.” The phrase, which is especially popular with Gen Alpha, means nothing. For Gen Alpha, using the term is a way to signal group belonging and confuse or playfully annoy adults who are out of the loop. Other words joining 6, 7 on the banished list include the following:

•  1. 6,7 - no meaning
•  2. Demure - acting with quiet, refined elegance
•  3. Cooked - being in a state of hardship
•  4. Massive - something impressive or significant
•  5. Incentivize - to motivate or encourage someone to do something
•  6. Full stop - signals annoyance 
•  7. Perfect - emphasizing strong positive approval
•  8. Gift/Gifted - something viral and popular
•  9. My bad - another way of saying “my mistake”
• 10. Reach out - initiate contact

The Banished Word List has been created every year since 1976 after a whimsical New Year’s Eve party idea and has grow into a global reflection on the words that wear out their welcome. This year, the university received over 1,400 submissions from around the world, which it whittled down to just 10. Teachers will be relieved to hear that “6,7” is the top banishment this year because it’s become so popular in classrooms that some teachers have actually had to ban the phrase themselves.

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Stingless Honeybees Become the First Insects to Gain Legal Rights

Satipo, a province in central Peru, just passed the first ordinance granting legal rights to stingless honeybees. Under the new law, the honeybees have the fundamental right to exist and flourish in a healthy environment without pollution, habitat loss, climate change, human activity, or other threats getting in the way of their survival. Humans can also file lawsuits on behalf of the insects. The ordinance represents a turning point in our relationship with nature, recognizing honeybees as rights-bearing subjects, at least in Peru. Though a handful of other creatures have been granted legal rights — sea turtles in Panama and all wild animals in Ecuador — experts say this is the first such instance involving insects. Stingless bees do have stingers, but they are small and ineffective, primarily used by bees to defend themselves. The new law was passed because honeybees indirectly contribute to carbon capture by keeping the forests and trees alive and regenerating. The honeybees’ honey and pollen is used for food and medicine, while their sticky “bee glue” is used for candles and arrows. According to César Ramos, President of Eco Asháninka, bees are a part of the family and should have rights like everyone else. Stingless honeybees are now facing numerous threats, including pesticides, climate change, deforestation, and competition from invasive European and African honeybees. A “gentle revolution is buzzing” in Peru, which can set an example for other nations.

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Why You Should Put a Sponge in Your Fridge Before a Storm

Preparing for a storm isn’t easy. Grocery store shelves empty out, gas lines stretch around the block, and sometimes you even have to evacuate. When Hurricane Helene tore through Asheville, North Carolina, in September 2024, many people thought they had done all the things right to prepare their refrigerators. They set the thermostat to the coldest setting, minimized how often they opened the door, and even rearranged the food so the most perishable items were front and center. However, when they lost power for more than a week, everything in their refrigerators spoiled anyway. The worst part wasn’t the waste and the money that went down the drain — it was opening the refrigerator afterward and being hit with a wall of sour, lingering odors that seemed impossible to scrub away. There’s a way you can avoid that scenario, and it’s as simple as sticking a sponge in your refrigerator. Sponges, by nature, absorb moisture. Inside a closed refrigerator without power, condensation forms as the temperature fluctuates. That extra dampness provides odor molecules with more opportunities to spread and can encourage mold and bacteria growth. By soaking up some of that excess moisture, a sponge reduces the humidity that causes odors to travel freely and smells to linger. While this isn’t a foolproof solution, it can help. It's also an easy way to make cleanup less overwhelming once the power has been restored. To make it even more effective, sprinkle baking soda on the sponge, which acts as a natural odor neutralizer. You can also use more than one sponge to maximize coverage. A word of caution: You still need to follow the safety rules when figuring out how long your food is good once you’ve lost power.

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Greek Island is Offering Free Accommodations to Look After Rescued Cats

If you fancy escaping to a remote Greek island with free accommodations, your dream might be within your reach. The island of Syros, located in the center of the Aegean Sea, is home to around 3,000 stray cats. Since the 1990s, the charity Syros Cats has been working on managing population numbers by providing sterilization and care to the cats. The organization is now welcoming “fit, mature, healthy and independent” volunteers who would like to help with all aspects of cat care for a minimum of one month. In exchange for cat care, applicants will receive free accommodations, breakfast and utilities. Specific day-to-day duties include cleaning litter trays, grooming, gardening, trapping feral cats, helping dispense medication, and taking sick, injured or unvaccinated cats to the vet. As well as looking after the cats, applicants are expected to engage visitors and show them around. Those who have had training or experience as a veterinary nurse, or have previously worked with feral cats, are more likely to be considered, while those under 25 are less likely to be accepted as they may not demonstrate the level of self-sufficiency and initiative required. Once applications are open, volunteers must explain why they would like to be considered. Volunteers will be required to pay for their own travel to the island, as well as covering the cost of foods for meals throughout their stay.

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