Artificial intelligence has now penetrated many areas of life, and this is reflected in language: “KI-Ära” (AI era) has been selected as the Word of the Year 2025, the Society for the German Language (GfdS) announced Friday in Wiesbaden. Artificial intelligence has “stepped out of the ivory tower of scientific research” and has “reached the center of society,” the language experts said in explaining their choice.
Whether for online research, photo animation, or text creation, more and more people today are using AI tools. In recent years, the topic has already influenced earlier Word-of-the-Year selections. Terms such as “KI-Boom” (AI boom) and “generative Wende” (generative shift) appeared on previous shortlists. “The turning point has now taken place, and the boom continues unabated,” the GfdS said.
The KI-Ära (AI era) offers many opportunities but also comes “with risks of misuse and a loss of independent, critical thinking, speaking, and writing.” The experts expect that “the widespread use of AI will shape the future development of the German language.” In second place is “Deal” (deal), a term increasingly used instead of compromise, agreement, or contract and appearing in combinations such as Friedensdeal (peace deal), Geiseldeal (hostage deal), and Zolldeal (tariff deal).
According to the GfdS, it represents “a politics that openly acknowledges putting its own economic interests first while ignoring the concerns of others and their right to territorial integrity, cultural self-determination, and prosperity.” Third place went to “Land gegen Frieden” (land for peace), also used in variants like “Frieden gegen Land” (peace for land) or “Frieden für Land” (peace in exchange for land), all referring to demands “that Ukraine must accept losing territory to Russia to reach a peace agreement or ceasefire.”
The term “Sondervermögen” (special fund), referring to government funding measures such as modernizing the Bundeswehr or expanding infrastructure, ranked fourth. Fifth place went to “Wehrdienst-Lotto” (military service lottery), which emerged in discussions about using a lottery if too few volunteers joined the Bundeswehr.
Sixth place was “Drohnisierung” (dronization), describing the expanding use of drones in wars and conflicts. Seventh place went to “Strafzölle” (punitive tariffs), referring especially to special duties imposed for political reasons, such as those introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump to protect the American economy or pressure trade partners.
In eighth place was “Wohlstandsverlust” (loss of prosperity). Ninth place went to “klimamüde” (climate-tired), describing reduced public willingness to support climate protection measures. Tenth place went to “Vertiktokung (TikTok-ification)”, referring to areas of life increasingly shaped or dominated by TikTok trends and content.
Last year’s Word of the Year was “Ampel-Aus” (end of the traffic-light coalition), with “Klimaschönfärberei” (climate glossing-over) and “kriegstüchtig” (war-ready) taking the next two spots in 2024. The GfdS has been selecting Words of the Year since 1977. According to the organization, frequency of use is not decisive, instead, significance and public relevance shape the decision. The selected words do not carry any judgement or recommendation.
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