"Ragebait" is the Youth Word of the Year for 2026 in Germany. The term, literally meaning "anger bait" and referring to content deliberately posted to stir up outrage on social media, narrowly won the vote, German publisher Langenscheidt announced on Saturday.
"Ragebait" secured 36.5% of the votes from young participants in an online poll, with "Peak" (33.8%) and "Crashout" (29.7%) rounding out second and third place.
According to Langenscheidt, "Ragebait" refers to content on social media designed to deliberately trigger anger or outrage. This often involves false information or outlandish opinions, aimed at generating a flood of likes and comments and achieving broad reach.
Something described as "Peak" is considered the best of the best, while a "Crashout" is when someone completely loses their composure.
The announcement was made at the Frankfurt Book Fair. "Ragebait" takes over from "das crazy", which was named Youth Word of the Year last year.
"Das crazy" is used when someone does not know what to say, does not feel like replying, or wants to stay polite while keeping the conversation going, in a way comparable to "okay" or "aha, cool".
Since the campaign to find the Youth Word of 2026 launched in late May, around half a million young people aged 11 to 20 have taken part in the online vote. The Youth Word has been selected since 2008 and aims to reflect the language used by young people.
Discriminatory or sexist terms are excluded. While some terms quickly fade from young people's vocabulary, others go on to make their way into general usage, such as the 2024 Youth Word "Aura", which usually refers to a person's charisma or presence in a lighthearted context.
