Word of the Year 2026: The public chooses "varulauk" as their favourite food word

The 2026 Sõnaus word competition sought new Estonian terms for food concepts previously lacking native language equivalents, receiving 1,500 candidate submissions. The public's favourite was "varulauk," proposed by Tuuli Reinsoo. The organisers note that whether new words actually enter everyday use remains unpredictable.

Sõnaus, Estonia's word competition running for the fourth time, this year called for participants to propose food words-seeking Estonian-language equivalents for terms that previously lacked native terminology. The competition collected a total of 1,500 new word submissions.

From among the many candidates, "varulauk" emerged as the clear favourite with the public, proposed by Tuuli Reinsoo. The word refers to green onion or scallion, used primarily as a culinary herb, and it received the warmest reception from voters.

However, the organisers of Sõnaus remain cautious about predicting which new words people will actually begin using in everyday life. They note that whether new words successfully enter the language is always unpredictable-even popular competition winners may fail to take root in the language, while more modest proposals can unexpectedly prove viable.