In brief

• PWN has published twelve finalists for its 2026 Youth Word of the Year contest.
• The shortlist includes "kukiriniarz", a slang term for electric scooter riders.
• Public voting started on 3 November and runs until the end of November.

Twelve finalists chosen

PWN announced the final list of terms for the 2026 edition on Tuesday, 3 November. Besides "kukiriniarz", the shortlist includes "brokuł", "larp/larpować", "płakał", "slop" and "spływka" (Co będzie Młodzieżowym Słowem Roku 2026? W finale cytat z Doroty Wellman – Wirtualnemedia.pl) (Młodzieżowe Słowo Roku 2026. Lista zwrotów i ich znaczeń - Wiadomości Radio ZET – wiadomosci.radiozet.pl). Some entries come from English, others have been in use for more than a decade, and at least one was inspired by an interview with Dorota Wellman (Kim są kukiriniarze? Wkurzają Polaków, zwłaszcza w Warszawie – jastrzabpost.pl) (Pokolenie Alfa i Z zdecydowało. Te 12 słów musisz znać w 2026 roku, jeśli nie chcesz wyjść na "unca" – GazetaPrawna.pl).

What "kukiriniarz" means

The word refers to people who ride electric scooters of the KuKirin brand. Its appearance on the list has sparked a wave of jokes online, and the term increasingly turns up in memes and short videos (["Kukiriniarz" może zostać Młodzieżowym Słowem Roku. Internet już robi sobie z nich żarty. Oto najlepsze memy! [ZDJĘCIA] – jastrzabpost.pl](https://jastrzabpost.pl/kukiriniarz-moze-zostac-mlodziezowym-slowem-roku-internet-juz-robi-sobie-z-nich-zarty-oto-najlepsze-memy-zdjecia,7347382995188192a)). Media reports say the word is most often associated with city residents who regularly meet scooter riders on pavements and streets.

Voting and the rules

The public vote started on the same day the list was published and will run until the end of November. The contest, organised by PWN since 2016, is meant to popularise Polish vocabulary and highlight terms that have gained wide reach among young people (Młodzieżowe Słowo Roku 2026. Znamy finałową listę. Boomer nie ma szans zrozumieć – kobieta.wp.pl). The winning word does not have to be a new coinage.

Other finalists

The "larp/larpować" entry refers to pretending to be someone one is not, a usage tied to the English abbreviation LARP for live-action role-playing (Młodzieżowe Słowo Roku 2026. Co znaczy „son”, „larp” i „slop”? – Wprost). "Slop" is covered by media as one of the English-derived terms on the list, while "spływka" and "płakał" are among the more colloquial entries.