2026 Word of the Year (and 100 ideas for yours)
Today I’m talking all about picking a word of the year for 2026 and sharing 100 ideas to help you pick one! This is a great alternative to New Years Resolutions or a way to organize all of your different goals.
Picking a Word of the Year
Have you picked a “Word of the Year” before?
The practice of choosing a “Word of the Year” is that, instead of setting a lot of different New Years Resolutions, you select one single word to be your focus for the year.
January always feels like a clean slate, the perfect moment to pause and reflect before stepping into the rest of the year. Personally, I also really love the fall (or when kids go back to school) for choosing a new intention. It’s less about rigid resolutions and more about creating an anchor you can return to whenever you need clarity throughout the year.
You can use that word to set goals or intentions for each area of your life, but have them all tie back to the single word. For example, if your word of the year was “abundance,” you might have sub-goals of investing in an abundant number of friendships, or hitting an income goal, or spending more quality time with the people you love without your phone. “Discipline” could entail going to the gym, sticking to an evening routine, and no longer being late to meetings.
By tying all of your goals back to your overarching word, it is easy to keep them front-of-mind.
Put the word in prominent places in your life to keep it top of mind – your phone screen, on your fridge, on the front of your planner.
Breaking down my Word of the Year
The first time I picked a word of the year was back in 2017. I used the following two quotes to help guide my choice:
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” -Unknown
My word was: Uncomfortable.
When picking my word for 2017, I wanted something that would remind me to take risks, to do things differently than I’ve been doing them. I wanted the reminder to sacrifice what I want now for what I want more. I wanted it to work for my goals in my family, in my relationships, in my personal growth, and in this blog. Here’s what I wrote:
“I wanted 2017 to be a year of discomfort.
It means more trips with the kids in tow, even if it would be easier to stay home.
It means less about me and more about others.
It means more rigorous workouts and waking up earlier.
It means more patience, more presence, and new habits.
It means more projects that challenge me.
It means getting myself off the couch, out from behind the screen, and away from excuses.
Some of the discomfort will be forced. We have some big family changes coming this year and the new + different will inevitably mean a bit of discomfort. But a lot of it will come only by choosing it, from making time for things that are not what I’ve been choosing for the last few years.”
The next year I chose the word “discipline” and listed the different areas of my life and what discipline would look like in each of them. I’ve used a handful of words over the years and now it’s time to pick a word for 2022!
Still looking for your word for 2026?
I’ve listed some of my favorites but before you pick one, take a while to think about what your goals are, who you really want to work on becoming in 2026. What are characteristics of that person? What do your goals for different aspects of your life have in common?
Maybe you’re searching for more simplicity in your business and home life?
Maybe you’re looking to be more daring in your relationships and in your work?
I love the theme a word of the year sets to your goals + direction in the new year. Once you’ve picked it, set it as your phone’s lock screen. Write it on the bathroom mirror (in dry-erase marker). Frame it for your desk or your nightstand. Keep it in the forefront of your mind and use it to set smaller monthly goals throughout the year.
I hope one of these speaks to you!
2026 Word of the Year Ideas
- Abundance
- Adventure
- Align
- Authentic
- Available
- Aware
- Balance
- Become
- Better
- Bless
- Bold
- Breathe
- Bright
- Calm
- Celebrate
- Centered
- Challenge
- Change
- Commitment
- Compassion
- Confidence
- Connect
- Courage
- Creativity
- Cultivate
- Daring
- Dedicated
- Delight
- Devotion
- Discipline ** (my word for 2018)
- Distance
- Dream
- Embrace
- Emerge
- Empower
- Expansion
- Express
- Faith
- Feast
- Fit
- Focus
- Forgiveness
- Foster
- Free
- Friendship
- Glow
- Giving
- Grace
- Gratitude
- Grounded
- Harmony
- Honesty
- Hope
- Humility
- Integrity
- Intentional
- Intuition
- Journey
- Joy
- Kind
- Learn
- Listen
- Love
- Magnify
- Meek
- Mindful
- Motion
- Nourish
- Nurture
- Organize
- Passion
- Peace
- Permission
- Persistance
- Play
- Polish
- Power
- Present
- Progress
- Radiant
- Recovery
- Relationships
- Release
- Reset
- Resolute
- Rise
- Risk
- Savvy
- Service
- Simplicity
- Slow
- Smile
- Space
- Sparkle
- Strong
- Teach
- Thrive
- Tranquil
- Whole
- Yes
- Zen
- Zest
Favorite Journals + Planners to use with your Word of the Year for 2021:
- this linen bound journal from Promptly Journals (it is even more beautiful in person – find more options directly on their website here)
- this spiral bound weekly + monthly planner (less than $15)
- I’ve found Anthropologie always has a highly curated GREAT selection of high quality planners (shop them here)
Have you picked a word for the year? I’d love to hear it!
A few other posts you might love:
- now that you’ve picked your “Word of the Year,” 10 things to do with it
- my favorite clean energy drink (ditch the soda + coffee for this in 2022 and your body will thank you)
- New Year Resolutions for moms
Pin it for later:
Mine is “Rich.” I want to have richer experiences, deeper relationships, enrich myself, have rich evenings and weekends by myself, with Bart and with my family, and hit our financial goals both as a couple (no more student loans!) and for my blog.
I love that Janssen! And I love your profile pic, so pretty!
This!! Love it!! I’ll take the word “breathe”. Breathe when my kids are testing me, breathe when I feel overwhelmed with duties, breathe when I get back into working out!!
From your list the Word Align. I want every house project to Align and be completely. I want to take one step at a time. And reorganizing my home to find the peace that surpassed all understanding to gurad mind in Christ Jesus.
Love the idea of a word for the year. Your word should be my word! When I set my goals for the year I kept thinking I just want to get out more! It’s so hard with little children but this year is our year! 🙂
HNY 2019. Great alternative to New Year’s Resolutions – 2019 Word of the year. My word is “Intentional”.
I will strive to be intentional with my family, relationships, work, actions, fitness, words and faith.
If you do all things with intention, sincerity will be expressed and you will ultimately have an impact. Don’t just go through the motions in life- Be Intentional. Read the attached list and reply with your word for 2019!! ????
My word is CHANGE. I am 64 yrs young and it’s time to make changes in our life. No more working 15 hour days for pennies, time to travel, spend more time with family. Time to change how we see ourselves, where we see ourselves, and to grow!
My word this year is Upgrade.
I am working on drinking better coffee and wine, eating better food, improving my home environment and the contents of my wardrobe. In each of these things I’m going to try to choose quality over quantity, to give myself an upgrade.
I want to read good books and listen to good music too, an upgrade over just reading websites and not having a soundtrack. I want to do some courses to develop myself. A mental upgrade.
My word is “Confidence” – and one of my friends has a kit from this company where we hammer our own word onto a disc and it can be jewelry, keychain etc. – good reminder of your word and a fun annual thing to do with friends each year! https://www.myintent.org/
Hope, without it, you have nothing.
This is a great list! I’m still thinking over my word for 2020, but I keep landing on “confidence.”
Selfless….self less focus on my self less and God more
I love this!
In 2017 my word was ROUTINE.
In 2018 my word was LEARN
In 2019 my word/phrase could have been LET IT GO
And in 2020, my word is…
https://consciousbychloe.com/2020/01/20/self-care-my-one-word-theme-for-2020/
My word is blossom. A friend “gave” it to me, reflecting how I am opening, and becoming alive and whole and full of purpose, happiness, and joy.
Bespoke.
Hearing and seeing it everywhere and has nothing to do with viruses or politics or elections. Lately, USB connectors and high end shoes. (shrugs)
I think many of us would like to get away from mass produced look alike everything and have some uniqueness again in the world. All the new cars look alike to me. Of course my blue jeans look unique on me…..
A few of those from the list are on my list! 🙂
Last year my word was “gather” and before that, I never saw it much. Then, it appeared everywhere. In store home decor, on my artwork, etc. But this year, my word is “ACTION”. I have had a paradigm shift in my life and I am passionate about helping other women find hope after childhood sexual assault and molestation, rape, incarceration, human trafficking, abandonment, all of which I have had to experience myself. There is light at the end of the tunnel but I have to do something about it now.