LSSU’s List of Banished Words for 2026
Posted By RichC on January 10, 2026
It is that time of the year: Checking out Lake Superior State University’s Banished Words List — their 50th! (My daughter will like the first one after mentioning it to me back in 2025).
Here are this year’s golden class of banishments and rationale:
6-7
“There are six or seven reasons why this phrase needs to be stopped,” says Paul E. from WI. The volume of submissions for this one could have taken up the whole list, at least slots 6-7. The top banishment this year, Scott T. from UT adds, “it’s time for “6-7” to be 86’ed.”
Demure
“It’s very said more than very done, and we’re all very done hearing it!” remarks Tammy S. Often used in the phrase ‘very demure, very mindful,’ Madison C. shares that the overuse “waters down the real meaning.”
Cooked
“Hearing it…my brain feels ‘cooked,’” groans Zac A. from VA. Parents and guardians led the charge on this one, with some feeling this isn’t enough. James C. from WA suggests a ban of “all forms of the word cook,” hoping that hearing them will become rare.
Massive
“Way overused! (often incorrectly),” exclaim Don and Gail K. from MN. This word’s massive overuse has secured its place on this year’s list.
Incentivize
In the longstanding effort to turn nouns into verbs, this is another culprit. Two separate submissions likened hearing this word to “nails on a chalkboard.” Patricia from TX asks, “What’s wrong with motivate?”
Full stop
“For the same reason ‘period’ was banished…redundant punctuation,” explains Marybeth A. from OR.
Perfect
“There are very few instances when the word actually applies,” notes Jo H. from CA. Often heard during customer service interactions, Char S. from OH wonders: “How do they know it’s perfect…what does that mean?”
Gift/gifted (as a verb)
“I found this on the 1994 list, but it will make me feel better to recommend that it be included once again,” reveals James S. from OK. Another case of a noun being used as a verb.
My Bad
In the 1998 banishment, Elizabeth P. from MI suggested, “students and adults sound infantile when using this to apologize.” The phrase hasn’t matured in credibility since then. Andrea R. from OH shared, “It does not convey much meaning in the way of an apology.”
Reach Out
First banished in 1994, this saying has strayed from the positive message it once intended to deliver. “What started as a phrase with emotional support overtones has now become absurdly overused,” asserts Kevin B. from the United Kingdom.
That concludes this year’s banishments. However, 50 years of lists have shown one thing: sometimes one placement just isn’t enough. To commemorate this golden milestone, LSSU looks back at some “Repeat Offenders” that received multiple banishments.
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