Preply Survey Finds 61% of Americans Oppose Internet Slang in Dictionaries
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 17
Preply Survey Finds 61% of Americans Oppose Internet Slang in Dictionaries
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 17
Summary
1,524 Americans surveyed by Preply split against adding internet slang to dictionaries, with 61% rejecting entries such as “skibidi” and “6-7.”
Preply said many respondents appear to treat dictionary inclusion as approval, while modern dictionaries generally aim to document real usage rather than police “official” English.
Younger adults were the most opposed, followed by the oldest respondents, while people aged 25 to 54 were only slightly more receptive.
The debate reflects a wider tension over whether fast-changing online phrases are durable words worth standard reference treatment or cultural artifacts better preserved for future interpretation.
If dictionary inclusion doesn't mean official approval, why does the debate over adding viral internet slang still spark such intense generational outrage?
Could adding viral internet slang to major dictionaries actually destroy the very cultural appeal that made those words popular in the first place?
How will future historians decode our digital culture if major reference books refuse to document fleeting but highly influential internet slang?