Luxembourg has chosen a word of the year

Luxembourg's traditional Word of the Year competition once again mirrored the national unrest and events that set the agenda for 2025. The winner was the metaphorical lexeme Trounwiessel - "Change of Monarch" - referring to the October transition of power from Grand Duke Henri to his son, Crown Prince Guillaume. Although the power structure did not change, the country officially received a new head of state, which was accompanied by widespread celebrations: even one of the tram stations was temporarily renamed in honour of the event.

It is interesting that in other languages the translations of the term do not convey the literal meaning of "change of throne": in French - avènement, in English - accession to the throne. However, it is in the Luxembourg context that the word has acquired a special form and sound, symbolically expressing a unique historical event for the country.

In second place was the word Sozialdialog - "social dialogue", the key to understanding the political turmoil of 2025. Following a series of government initiatives, including pension reform and changes to labour law, relations between trade unions, government and business have been strained. In response to mass protests in the summer, the tripartite dialogue all but collapsed, and by the autumn the talks had already moved into a closed, bilateral format. The word itself is also interesting from a linguistic point of view: in Luxembourgish it is formed by a fusion, as opposed to the German sozialer Dialog.

Third place went to the word Alphabetiséierung - "literacy" or "alphabetisation". It is the only term among the five that is not compound. It first came into the public spotlight after the announcement of the launch of a parallel literacy programme in French in primary schools in 2026. Until then, instruction had been exclusively in German. The move sparked heated debates about language policy, the role of French and multilingualism in the country.

The fourth position was taken by the term Nickts-Affär - the "Nickts affair". It has its origins in a corruption scandal in the early 2000s, after a convicted trade union leader. In 2025, the topic resurfaced again after a decision by the Court of Cassation forbade the media from referring to him by name. This sparked a high-profile debate about press freedom and the right to oblivion. The term turned out to be remarkable in that it includes a surname turned into part of a stable expression. This has happened before - for example, in the case of Caritas-Affär, which came second in the 2024 ranking.

Rounding out the top five is Pensiounsreform, the "pension reform". Announced in May 2025, it has become a catalyst for a split in the social dialogue. Discussions centred on both future pensions and the redistribution of the burden between generations. That said, the Luxembourg-sounding word "pensioun" contrasts interestingly with the German Rente or Ruhestand and the French retraite, preserving the individual nuance of the language.

The overall choice reflects a consistent trend in recent years: since 2020, the winners have been words tightly linked to political or social crises. From Corona and Ukrainkrich to KI and Presidentrick, Luxembourgers don't choose words that are just "on the lips". They choose what really defines the zeitgeist.