How to Choose the Best Word of the Year for Next Year

The question grows more insistent as the new year approaches: how do I choose the best word of the year (WOTY) for next year? I’m no rookie at it but for some reason, this year I’m stumped. Every idea seems as good as the next, and I long for the certainty with which I’ve picked my WOTY in the past.

Open (2019).

Given (2020).

Nevertheless (2021).

Release (2022).

Umbrella (2023).

Reflect (2024).

Korban (2025).

They arrived as a God-whisper, a nudge from a book, a kairos moment when reading Scripture. My most wrestled-over word, reflect, I knew the tender heart-work God was getting at before I knew the word to capture it. Still, when I knew, I knew. I long for the same deep sense of sureness to confirm I have the best word for 2026.

Perhaps you’re in the same boat. You’re brand new to the WOTY practice, or this is your annual rhythm, but like me, you’re at a loss for words. You feel lost as you weigh and pray over the word to open your heart to God and the people in front of you.

Let’s take a slow breath together.

All the pressure to pick a perfect word is not life-giving. Even a good thing can become a not-right thing if it creates angst and unrest in your soul.

But perhaps the problem isn’t with the elusive word, but with our process. Mine in particular.

As I step back to see where I’ve gone wrong, I see three potential pitfalls where you might be stuck as well.

Mistake One: Misidentifying the Goal

The process of picking next year’s word is part of the process. It’s holy work that tunes our ears to hear the Holy Spirit. It’s conversation–tender and ongoing–between us and God. It’s an eyes-open season that helps us pay attention to wonder and where God’s already at work.

The process of picking next year’s word is part of the process quote (Twyla Franz).

We don’t have to rush it, even if we don’t have a word picked before New Year’s.

If I name the goal as having a word picked before the calendar turns, or pinpoint the goal as having the perfect WOTY, I miss out on the right-now work God is doing inside me. The better goal is a soft and tender heart, rooted in trust, courageous with a yes when God comes knocking.

We might not have immediate clarity on the best word of the year for next year. And that’s okay. It stretches out the conversation, and perhaps there are more layers we need to unwrap with God. Lean in. Invite Him in. Engage in the process.

Here’s a prayer for both of us as we open our hands and hearts to God:

Jesus, lead. Holy Spirit, guide.

Keep my heart soft and accessible.

Mistake Two: Bringing Expectations Instead of Expectancy

It’s hard to not look at history and bring expectations to the table as you prayerfully weigh WOTY ideas. Perhaps you expect the ease of quickly landing on the best word. Or you assume your knower will be on equally high alert.

But these sort of expectations can be discouraging when you can’t quite land on the right word.

Give yourself grace.

You changed, in many good and beautiful ways. You’re also facing a brand new set of joys and challenges. Lean on the history between you and God, not your past experiences with a word of the year.

What do you know about God’s nature?

How has He cared for you in the past?

In what ways has He proven His faithfulness?

Take a moment to still your heart as you ponder the past. Surrender to the wonder that rises as you rest your mind on the Lord. Pause in awe as you behold the one more holy, more glorious, more brilliant than any other.

As you prayerfully consider words for next year, bring your expectancy, rather than expectations.

Bring your expectancy, rather than expectations quote by Twyla Franz

Join me in this prayer?

Lord, I trade my expectations for expectancy.

May wonder give way to worship

as I trust You to bring the right word at the right time.

Mistake Three: Overthinking It All

I’ll be frank. I overthink all the things. Sometimes I make quick decisions and then second guess my determination. Other times I get stuck in uncertainty, spinning wheels as I whirl through every worst-case scenario.

If this resonates, you too may be overthinking your word of the year.

Here’s a welcome truth: God can use any word to do a work in your heart. Perhaps the word itself is less important than the desire to welcome Him into the worry-creased areas of your life, into the guarded places in your heart, into the whole of your home.

If you’d like a list of words, all with powerful potential to pull you in tighter to Christ, here’s my curated list of 200 word-of-the-year ideas. I picked these words on purpose because they are missional in nature. They tie together our proximity to Jesus and the overflow of Him into every area of our lives.

They’re ripple-starting words. Relationship-deepening words. Faith-building words.

If you find yourself circling back to any particular word, make note of it. Pray over this narrowed list. If you’re still stuck on which word is your word, lean into the conversation. Let the calendar page turn. If you still aren’t sure, trust that God can grow you through any word on your list, and pick one that’s risen towards the top.

Amplify WOTY Growth

One last thing before you go! In addition to the word idea list, I’d like to give you a tool to help you make the most of your word-of-the-year. It’s a 5-minute practice you’ll complete at the end of each month to nurture what God’s doing in and through you.

Grab the (free) WOTY reflection sheets below!

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Just a friend over here in your corner,