Selected by Germany's youth as their trendiest slang of the year, the expression "das crazy" beat two other shortlisted favorites, "goonen" and "checkst du."
Surprised, amused, speechless? 'Das crazy!' is the right way to express all this, according to young GermansImage: Dmitrii Marchenko/Zoonar/picture alliance
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Previously, when Germans wanted to point out how crazy something is, they would naturally use German and say "Das ist verrückt." Young Germans, however, now prefer to say, "Das crazy."
Whether you're surprised, speechless, want to make an ironic comment or simply can't think of a suitable response, "Das crazy" is always a good choice. "Use it when you don't know what to say, don't feel like answering, or just want to politely keep the conversation going," was the official explanation given by the jury.
It's no wonder that the expression may sound like painfully incorrect German to older ears, as the grammatically correct form would be "Das ist crazy." The combination of the German article "das" with the English word for crazy is a humorous and deliberate break with the rules of language. The term originated in meme and internet culture — in chats and on social media platforms, you won't get very far without "Das crazy."
It can be used as an all-purpose filler wordImage: Marijan Murat/dpa/picture alliance
'Das crazy' represents the spirit of the times
"This year's choice once again demonstrates the enduring dominance of the English language and the trend toward brevity," said Nikolas Hoenig, head of marketing at PONS Langenscheidt, the publishing company behind the annual selection. "Das crazy" skillfully represents the spirit of the times, he added, and that is precisely why it was chosen.
The PONS Langenscheidt publishing house has been selecting the Youth Word of the Year since 2008, originally through a jury and, since 2020, through an online vote.
Germany's youth words of the year since 2010
So smash, cringe and goofy: Teen talk is annually recognized by expert linguists and Langenscheidt publishers. Check out German youth words of the year from this year and years past.
Image: Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/picture alliance
2024: Aura
Teens in Germany use the word "aura" to jokingly describe how the rating of a person's charisma can go up and down with "aura points": "I just tripped in front of my crush: minus 50 aura!" or "Wow, I didn't know you could wiggle your ears that way: plus 1000 aura." It was selected as the Youth Word of the Year 2024.
Image: IMAGO/imagebroker
2023: Goofy
Everyone knows the Walt Disney cartoon anthropomorphic dog who is clumsy and a bit foolish. Young Germans have adopted the term to describe someone who is silly, eccentric or awkward — usually in an affectionate way. It was named German Youth Word of the Year 2023.
Image: Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/picture alliance
2022: Smash
The English verb "smash" was chosen as German Youth Word of the Year 2022. It roughly means "starting something with someone," "picking someone up" or "having sex with someone." It comes from the dating game app "Smash or Pass," where potential partners are either accepted as a "smash" by swiping right or rejected as a "pass" by swiping left, inspired by the dating app Tinder.
Image: ROBIN UTRECHT/picture alliance
2021: Cringe
The English word "cringe" was selected as the German Youth Word of the Year 2021. Just like in English, German teens use it to describe a person or situation they find extremely embarrassing. But the German language also has its own term to express the feeling of being embarrassed because someone else has embarrassed themselves (without noticing): "fremdschämen" — secondhand embarrassment.
Image: Colourbox
2020: Lost
The German Youth Word of the Year in 2020 was also an English word, "lost." German teens don't use it in the sense of having lost their way, but to express a lack of perspective, or of not knowing what to do. They might also use the term in a math class for instance as a way of saying "I don't get it."
Image: Antonio Guillem/Panthermedia/Imago Images
2018: Ehrenmann / Ehrenfrau
Man or woman of honor: that's the German Youth Word of the Year for 2018 (no word was selected in 2019). It refers to a person you can always count on and who's loyal to his friends and family. It can also be used ironically as an insult, when someone claims to have strong principles but doesn't apply them in real life. German rappers often use "Ehrenmann" in their lyrics.
Image: REUTERS
2017: I bims
To be or not to be? Germany's young people would answer Shakespeare's most famous existential question with "I bims," derived from "Ich bin" — I am. It was chosen as the German Youth Word of the Year in 2017.
Image: DLA Marbach
2016: am Fly sein
When a person is flying high and ready to, say, party all night, German teens will highlight this energy by borrowing from US hip-hop slang, literally saying "you're on fly." In English, "I'm so fly" is a rapper way of saying you're cool. It was embodied by the main character in the film "Super Fly" from 1972, with its famous Curtis Mayfield soundtrack.
Image: Frank Bienewald/imageBROKER/picture alliance
2015: Smombie
Do you check your phone while you're walking and run into things? Then apparently you have something in common with German teens. The 2015 German Youth Word of the Year was "Smombie" — a cross between smartphone and zombie. Walking while checking for a new like, follow or message can be hazardous. Perhaps Germany should adopt this phone lane idea spotted in China.
Image: HPIC/dpa/picture alliance
2014: Läuft bei dir
"Läuft bei dir" basically means "things are going well with you." But as with most of the youth words of the year, this one can also contain traces of irony depending on the context. It's perhaps always a question of perspective: Despite the mud, the heavy metal fans in this picture taken at the Wacken open air festival still seem to think everything rocks.
Image: Christian Charisius/dpa/picture alliance
2013: Babo
Who's the leader of the pack among your friends? Chances are, they're the babo: that is, the boss, the ringleader, the head honcho. German rapper Haftbefehl (pictured) may also like to see himself as the babo. In 2013, he released a track called "Chabos know who the babo is." While "chabos" (roughly, guys) is derived from Angloromani, babo comes from Turkish.
Image: Geturshot/azzlackz/dpa/picture alliance
2012: YOLO
In 2012, an English abbreviation won German Youth Word of the Year. YOLO stands for You Only Live Once. In that case, live it up. Maybe that means launching your singing career on YouTube, getting a colorful tattoo or just dancing in the streets with your friends.
Image: Boglarka Bodnar/AP Photo/picture alliance
2011: Swag
It's not surprising that teen speak is heavily influenced by the music scene. Swag was borrowed from the American rap scene and made it over to Germany around 2010, becoming popular thanks to Austrian rapper Money Boy's track "Turn My Swag On." If you've got swag, you radiate coolness.
Image: Uli Deck/dpa/picture alliance
2010: Niveaulimbo
Ever played limbo? Then you know there's a limit to how far down you can go — even if you're really good. "Niveaulimbo" — literally, limbo level — refers to the ever-sinking quality of something. That could be a TV show, a joke or a party that starts getting out of hand.
Image: Klaus Rose/dpa/picture-alliance
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Two million people took part in this year's vote. Anyone could vote, but only words submitted by young people were considered. Offensive, racist or discriminatory terms are not permitted.
Little captures the spirit of the younger generation as vividly as how young people speak, said Patricia Kunth, marketing manager and head of the Youth Word of the Year campaign. "Every year, new terms pop up that surprise us at the publishing house and show how fast language changes."
Even voting habits speak volumes: "Around 88% of visits to the voting page were via smartphones. After all, the language of the youth is born where it is used — on the go, online and in everyday life."
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'Goonen' lost narrowly
The Youth Word of the Year was announced on Saturday at the Frankfurt Book Fair. "Das crazy" took first place with 35.7% of the votes, just ahead of "goonen" and "checkst du."
"Goonen" is a slang term for excessive, prolonged self-gratification. In a statement, the Langenscheidt committee said it wanted to be transparent about sexual terms, but also wanted to point out the risks. It warned that excessive masturbation can result in addiction to dopamine, the happiness hormone, and lead to an unhealthy relationship with one's own sexuality.
The term in third place, "checkst du" (Do you check?), is today's youth variation on the question "Do you understand?" It is used at the end of the sentence to make sure that the other person has understood correctly. Not just literally, but also whether the other person can emotionally relate to what is being said.
Also up for vote in 2025 was "Digga(h)" — a word that has long been a staple in young people's vocabulary. This isn't the first time that "Digga" has appeared on the list of favorites. It was previously nominated in 2021, but according to Langenscheidt, it did not win because it was already an established term among the youth. "Digga" is derived from "Dicker" (which can also mean fatso), but is not meant to be derogatory: The term is used in a friendly manner to address a buddy.
In 2024, "aura" won to become the Youth Word of the Year. It is used to refer to a person's charisma and can be used in both a positive and negative sense. Anyone who has "plus 20 Aura" has probably done everything right.
For Langenscheidt, the selection of the Youth Word of the Year is an important opportunity to highlight the evolution of language. It is their goal for younger generations to also feel represented by language.
