More than 2,000 primary schools and education non-profit organizations (NPOs) across South Africa will receive new mobile trolley library resources in 2026 as the AVBOB Road to Literacy campaign expands to its largest scale yet, introducing braille-inclusive trolley libraries for the first time.

Announced at a Johannesburg event attended by Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube, the initiative will deliver 2,000 trolley libraries to under-resourced primary schools and NPOs nationwide. Each mobile trolley contains 500 Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) aligned books, bringing the total number of books distributed this year to one million. The campaign continues to prioritize communities with limited access to quality reading materials.

The AVBOB Road to Literacy campaign was launched in partnership with OUP Southern Africa in 2022 to help address South Africa’s literacy challenges by providing primary schools and education NPOs with mobile classroom libraries filled with CAPS-aligned books. The initiative focuses on the Foundation and Intermediate Phases and is designed to give learners more regular access to age-appropriate reading materials that supports literacy and numeracy.

A major development in 2026 is the introduction of 10 braille-inclusive trolley libraries for selected schools and organizations that support blind and partially sighted learners, bringing the total number of trolley libraries to 2,010. Each of the braille trolleys contain more than 100 braille anthologies and 350 sighted Aweh! readers, and make it possible for blind, partially sighted, and sighted children to engage with the same stories.

Karen Simpson

Managing Director of OUP Southern Africa

“The need for books that children can see themselves in, and access in ways that are meaningful for them, has never been clearer. Bringing braille into Road to Literacy for the first time is an important step forward. It allows more learners to experience the joy of story, language, and learning, while creating opportunities for shared reading across classrooms and communities.”

From 2022, to 2026, the AVBOB Road to Literacy campaign has donated 3,893 trolley libraries and distributed approximately two million books, reaching just under 4,000 beneficiary schools and education NPOs. With the 2026 rollout now donating braille libraries, the initiative continues to grow in scale while widening the kinds of learners it can reach.

Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube noted: “Partnerships with business can go a long way towards improving educational outcomes in the country. AVBOB has been an incredible partner to the education sector, and their trolley libraries are bridging the literacy gap in under-resourced schools. The inclusion of braille books in this year’s trolley libraries will ensure that even learners with visual impairments are not left behind in the literacy journey. Access to knowledge and the joy of reading must extend to every child, regardless of their circumstance. We must work collaboratively as business, government, and society to build a just and equitable education system.”

Nakedi Pilane, Executive Director: Business Development and Financial Services at AVBOB, said:听“The increasing demand for trolley libraries has been one of the clearest indicators of the initiative鈥檚 value. Schools that initially received a single trolley now request听additional resources to support the momentum they see in their learners. Teachers tell us about classrooms that feel more energized, about learners who look forward to reading time, and about children who are discovering language as an avenue to curiosity and self-expression. These shifts may appear modest, but in educational terms, they represent meaningful, long-term progress. When reading begins to take root, a community begins to unlock its potential.鈥�

You can watch a recap of the 2026 recipient announcement ceremony .

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罢丑别听Oxford English Dictionary听(OED) is a historical dictionary, containing over 500,000 entries and 3.5 million quotations to capture over 1,000 years of English. We update the OED every quarter, revising versions of existing entries as well as defining new words and senses, all subtly broadening our understanding of the English language.

10 highlights from this quarter’s update听

1. This update contains more than 500 new words, phrases, and senses, including 听and听.听The OED Executive Editor, Craig Leyland, shares more about the words added听this quarter in听our听.

2. With more than 950 revised senses, we鈥檝e听updated the entries relating to various major word families, such as听bounce, heal,听and听drop.听Word groups such as these are fundamental, wide-ranging, and productive elements of English. Through the centuries they appear in new contexts, in new locations,听and are听adapted by people to fit their changing circumstances.听For example, we now show that people have talked of听听babies on their knees since at least 1836,听of听听since 1707,听and of鈥�鈥痓eing used by听fishermen听since 1695.听

3. Our entry for鈥�鈥痵hows a new sense, where it鈥檚 used to designate animals as particularly appealing to humans, and therefore popular with conservation causes that use them to gain support.

4. OED editor, Jeffrey Sherwood, uncovers the , which听originally听meant almost the opposite of what it means today.

5. We also recognize鈥�鈥痑s an adjective to cover a more recent use meaning 鈥榡ealous鈥�.

6. As part of our , this release sees additions from Hong Kong, the Philippines,听Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, and Ireland. Find out more in听our听听by鈥疧ED鈥疎xecutive Editor, Danica Salazar.

7. In Malaysian and Singaporean English,鈥�鈥痙enotes guesswork or estimation, and is most听frequently听used in the context of a particular way of cooking, in which ingredients are added based on estimation and intuition rather than听accurate听measurement.

8. The Hong Kong pastry, ,听does not听contain听pineapple, but its cracked, baked topping resembles the skin of this fruit.听Meanwhile, a听听is听a听communal meal at听which听different kinds听of food are laid out, typically on banana leaves, and eaten with听the听hands.

9. ,鈥�dating to听2011 and听1986听respectively, is a colloquial phrase听used by听Irish people to introduce or emphasize a statement, or to express resignation or acceptance of a situation.

10. We are now providing multiple audio pronunciations for some British and U.S. transcriptions.鈥疐ind out more in 听from Holly Dann, pronunciation editor.

Explore the update in more depth .

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This year, Oxford Big Read brought together students from 15 countries in a truly global celebration of reading, creativity, and collaboration.

The is an international competition that听encourages students to read OUP books and complete a creative project based on their reading. With three competition levels aligned to school classes, Oxford Big Read continues to foster literacy development at every stage.

This year, participation听soared across participating countries,听which included Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, and India鈥攚hich saw a 363% year-on-year increase in submissions.

After months of reading, creativity, and exceptional student participation across continents, we are delighted to announce the Oxford Big Read Global 2025 winners. Their entries听demonstrated听outstanding imagination, storytelling skills, and deep engagement with their reading.

Level 1 – ages 5-8

Participants read an OUP book and then designed a new cover.

Winner: Mu Zha

From Mainland China

Entry:听A New Home听by Jan Burchett and Sarah Vogler听

鈥淚 am听a big fan听of this book. The pictures are funny. And I love the different shoe homes best. If I had a shoe as my home, I would wish it to be a roller skate. It would have enough room for my family and friends, and it could move fast just like a roller skate.鈥�

Runner-up: Raniah Raiziel Battad Bumutay

From Thailand

Entry:听Let’s Make Pizza by Rachel Wilson

Level 2 – ages 9-12

Participants either: read an OUP book and wrote a response describing what they found interesting about the book; OR designed a poster听representing听their understanding of the book.

Winner: Pham Chau Anh

From Vietnam

Entry: Hachiko听by Nicole Irving

鈥淭he story of Hachiko, an Akita dog, is one of the most touching stories in Japan.听This picture is听very important听because it makes us feel both sadness and admiration. When we see Hachiko sitting alone, we feel the pain of waiting, but also the beauty of never giving up.鈥�听

Runner-up: Yufei Shen

From Mainland China

Entry: Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh

鈥淭he slogan I give the poster, 鈥淕oing, Going,听Gone鈥�,听is the cruel sound of a society making a deal, much like the voice-over in the movie听The Truman Show. Though my poster has a vintage-chic style, if you look closely, you will find the cold interior.鈥�听

Level 3 – ages 13-15

Participants either: read an OUP book and wrote critical review describing the theme, plot, and characters; OR听compared and contrasted two books.

Winner: 尝补蹋颈听Anh听碍丑么濒听

From Vietnam

Entry: Madame Marie Tells the Future by Lynne Marie Robertson

鈥淭he book teaches me that everyone has a dream and a special talent. I have learned that if we believe in ourselves, we can feel stronger and try harder. The message of the story is that kind and positive words can give us courage, and this makes me think about my own future too.鈥�

Runner-up: Leyang Li

From Mainland China

Entry: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

鈥淎usten鈥檚 message is clear: true love and happiness come from understanding, respect, and the willingness to confront one鈥檚 own flaws. She rejects the idea that marriage should be based solely on social status or financial gain, instead arguing that emotional connections and shared values are far more important.鈥�

For each level, students were rewarded for their contributions with prizes鈥�from听certificates and digital subscriptions to national prizes sponsored by Faber Castell, Amazon, and The Hindu Young World.听The prestigious global awards included听iPads and even an internship opportunity with our English Language Teaching听Graded Reader team.听

With global winners representing Mainland China, Vietnam, and Thailand, Oxford Big Read continues to connect students across continents through the joy of reading. Congratulations to all our winners and runners-up for their exceptional achievements.听

Find out more about the Oxford Big Read听.

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We have launched a new Oxford Test of English Learner Corpora (OTELC) research competition, designed to support emerging researchers and showcase innovative academic work using learner data from the .

The to students currently studying for a Master’s degree in Linguistics, Corpus Linguistics, or Language Assessment. Entrants will be asked to submit a research proposal outlining their project and clearly explaining how the OTELC will be used as primary data to support their methodological approach and research objectives. A reference letter from an academic supervisor or course leader will also be required.

The OTELC is a collection of written and spoken texts produced by test takers who sit the Speaking and Writing modules of the Oxford Test of English. These responses are transcribed, structured, linked with metadata (such as first language, age, gender, CEFR level), and are annotated for error types.

Developed as monitor corpora, the OTELC is designed to grow as new test taker responses are added. It provides authentic samples of learner language, offering insights into how learners of English produce written and spoken texts and the linguistic features they use.

As a rich linguistic resource, the OTELC enables research across applied linguistics, language assessment, and English language teaching, giving researchers opportunities to examine patterns in learner performance, explore the challenges faced by test takers, and generate findings that can inform pedagogy and assessment research.

Anthony Green

Research Director, English Assessment

“The Oxford Test of English Learner Corpora competition represents an exciting step in opening up our rich learner data to the next generation of researchers. By supporting postgraduate students, we’re not only encouraging innovative academic work but also strengthening the bridge between assessment research and real-world classroom impact.“

on 15 February 2026, with the deadline for proposals and reference letter submission falling on 31 May 2026. We will announce shortlisted project proposals in July.

From the submissions received, the strongest applications will be selected for the next stage. The overall winner will receive an iPad Air and will have their research published as part of our collection, giving valuable visibility to their work within the English language teaching and language assessment community.

You can read more details on the competition, eligibility criteria, and submission guidance , and find out more about the Oxford Test of English .

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As universities worldwide reconsider how English proficiency is assessed, traditional one-size-fits-all tests often fail to reflect the real skills students need for academic and professional success.

Responding to this, we’re proud to have launched a whitepaper today, exploring the topic of .

Created in partnership with听, our new whitepaper examines:

• What skills institutions really value to ensure academic and social preparedness
• Why conventional English tests are falling short
• How technology and AI are transforming assessment
• What universities should look for in effective language testing.

The findings of the whitepaper reinforce our commitment to delivering English language assessment that is adaptive, authentic, and aligned with the real communication demands of academic and professional environments. It also demonstrates how the continues to evolve to meet the expectations of learners, educators, and universities worldwide.

Sara Pierson

Managing Director, English Assessment

“There鈥檚听growing recognition that assessment must reflect real-world communication and the diverse ways students use language in academic and professional settings.听As the whitepaper sets out, the push for a more听holistic approach听to English-language testing recognizes that language is vital in supporting meaningful engagement with the world around us, not a standalone exercise.“

On 11 March 2026, together with听Times Higher Education, bringing together a panel of experts to explore the critical components for effective language assessment today, and how recognizing the right English proficiency tests can promote successful learner outcomes.

As the needs of learners and institutions evolve, English proficiency tests must actively enable student success, including integrated, task-based designs that mirror real-life language use. A more holistic and adaptive assessment can ensure that test preparation builds skills that translate to professional, academic, and social success, while offering a baseline for targeted support and developmental guidance for students鈥� academic journey.

Anthony Green

Research Director, English Assessment

“As the university experience becomes increasingly digital, interdisciplinary, and collaborative, we have to ask ourselves whether current English-language tests are truly measuring the communication skills students need for today’s world. It’s time to rethink what effective assessment looks like.“

You can download the full whitepaper and register for the webinar .

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Young people from across the UK have voted for听peace as the Oxford Children’s Word of the Year for 2025.

For more than a decade, our experts and academic researchers have tracked and analysed the evolution of children’s language and how it is used to reflect their emotions and experiences each year.

In 2025, we surveyed opinions from almost 5,000 children across the UK aged 6-14 years old. Based on the most common responses and themes, we shortlisted three words鈥�peace, AI, and resilience鈥攁nd asked young people to vote for their preferred winning word.

In the final results,听peace听came out on top with 35% of the vote, narrowly followed by听AI (33%), whilst 21% opted for听resilience.

Peace chosen in response to global conflicts

Our research highlighted children’s awareness of current affairs. When asked why they chose听peace, one in ten children mentioned ‘war’, whilst some highlighted specific conflicts such as ‘Ukraine’ or ‘Gaza’. Words such as ‘need’, ‘want’, and ‘should’ were frequently mentioned in their answers when calling for peace across the world.

A study of the Oxford Children’s Corpus鈥攖he world’s largest database of writing by and for children in the English language containing over half a billion words鈥攔eveals mentions of听peace in children’s stories submitted to the BBC 500 Words competition has increased by 60% since 2015.

AI selected as runner-up for the second year in a row

For the second year running, children selected AI as the runner-up. When asked why they chose the word, a fifth of children (20%) mentioned ‘hearing’ and ‘talking’ about AI, highlighting its ubiquitousness in daily life.

Similar to last year, when asked how the word made them feel, children gave positive responses, with more than one in ten using the adjective ‘excited’ or ‘exciting’. More than a quarter of six-to-eight-year-olds (29%) chose听AI as their word of the year, demonstrating how even very young children are aware of the everyday role AI plays.

Six-seven gives children social currency

We also asked young people to choose their slang word of the year. Almost half (47%) of children chose听six-seven听as their slang word of the year, followed by听aura听(24%) and听delulu (7%).

Our research revealed that the use of听six-seven听among children fosters inclusivity and social currency, with almost one in ten mentioning ‘friends’ when asked how they use the term, with more than a quarter (28%) citing ‘fun’ and ‘laugh’ when asked what听six-seven听meant to them.

While 12% of children admitted听six-seven had no meaning, most children highlighted the value of such words, with 72% of children stating it was important to have words they only use with friends.

Andrea Quincey

Director of Early Years and Primary Publishing

鈥淎 key theme we see from our Oxford Children鈥檚 Word of the Year research is just how attuned children are to current affairs. This year is no different; whether that鈥檚 calling for peace in response to current conflicts or highlighting how AI has permeated daily life. Perhaps it鈥檚 no surprise that six-seven is voted, overwhelmingly, as their slang word of the year. A word which brings them laughter and joy and connection with friends. We see how important it is for children to have agency over their language away from the grown-up world and share words that adults can鈥檛 understand.鈥�

Supporting the National Year of Reading by fostering a love of words

We are calling for schools in the UK to participate in the next Oxford Children’s Word of the Year to further support children’s reading, vocabulary development, and oracy skills. We have developed an activity pack with tips and resources for schools that want to take part, including how ‘word of the year’ conversation sessions can encourage book talk and language development. More details on how schools can get involved can be found .

To mark the announcement, and to support the , we are collaborating with the on school events across the UK. The author-led events will encourage children to engage with different forms of reading and reflect on the words they read, speak, and learn about.

Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: 鈥淟anguage plays a profound role in shaping our society, culture and identity. Understanding how children and young people make sense of the words they encounter in their daily lives, take ownership of them and play with their meaning, demonstrates the power of language for helping us comprehend the world around us and our place in it.

鈥淭he National Year of Reading will enable us to give more children and young people new opportunities to experience language in ways that are fun, relevant and help them connect with others. Throughout the year, we will work with 糖心VLOG Press and a number of incredible authors to bring the magic of reading and words to life for children and young people across the UK.鈥�

You can read the full details of our research in the Oxford Children’s Word of the Year 2025 report .

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The wait is over鈥攖he official Oxford Word of the Year 2025 is rage bait.

Our language experts shortlisted three contenders鈥�rage bait,听aura farming, and听biohack鈥攖hat reflect our conversations and preoccupations over the past year. After three days of voting in which more than 30,000 people had their say, our experts chose rage bait after considering votes, the sentiment of public commentary, and their analysis of our lexical data.

Why听rage bait?

Rage bait is defined as听“online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media content”.

With 2025’s news cycle dominated by social unrest, debates about the regulation of online content, and concerns over digital wellbeing, our experts noticed that the use of rage bait this year has evolved to signal a deeper shift in how we talk about attention鈥攂oth how it is given and how it is sought after鈥攅ngagement, and ethics online. The word has tripled in usage in the last 12 months.

Rage bait was first used online in a posting on Usenet in 2002 as a way to designate a particular type of driver reaction to being flashed at by another driver requesting to pass them, introducing the idea of deliberate agitation. The word then evolved into internet slang used to describe viral tweets, often to critique entire networks of content that determine what is posted online, like platforms, creators, and trends.

Since then, it has become shorthand for content designed to elicit anger by being frustrating, offensive, or deliberately divisive in nature, and a mainstream term referenced in newsrooms across the world and discourse amongst content creators. It’s also a proven tactic to drive engagement, commonly seen in performative politics. As social media algorithms began to reward more provocative content, this has developed into practices such as听rage-farming, which is a more consistently applied attempt to manipulate reactions and to build anger and engagement over time by seeding content with rage bait, particularly in the form of deliberate misinformation of conspiracy theory-based material.

Isn’t听rage bait two words?

The Oxford Word of the Year can be a singular word or expression, which our lexicographers think of as a single unit of meaning.

Rage bait is a compound of the words听, meaning ‘a violent outburst of anger’, and , ‘an attractive morsel of food’. Both terms are well-established in English and date back to Middle English times. Although a close parallel to the etymologically related 鈥攚hich has a shared objective of encouraging online engagement and the potential to elicit annoyance鈥攔age bait has a more specific focus on evoking anger, discord, and polarization.

The emergence of听rage bait as a standalone term highlights both the flexibility of the English language, where two established words can be combined to give a more specific meaning in a particular context (in this case, online), and come together to create a term that resonates with the world we live in today.

Speaking about this year’s winner, Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, said:

“As technology and artificial intelligence become ever more embedded into our daily lives鈥攆rom deepfake celebrities and AI-generated influencers to virtual companions and dating platforms鈥攖here鈥檚 no denying that 2025 has been a year defined by questions around who we truly are; both online and offline.

“The fact that the word rage bait exists and has seen such a dramatic surge in usage means we鈥檙e increasingly aware of the manipulation tactics we can be drawn into online. Before, the internet was focused on grabbing our attention by sparking curiosity in exchange for clicks, but now we鈥檝e seen a dramatic shift to it hijacking and influencing our emotions, and how we respond. It feels like the natural progression in an ongoing conversation about what it means to be human in a tech-driven world鈥攁nd the extremes of online culture.

“Where last year鈥檚 choice, , captured the mental drain of endless scrolling, rage bait shines a light on the content purposefully engineered to spark outrage and drive clicks. And together, they form a powerful cycle where outrage sparks engagement, algorithms amplify it, and constant exposure leaves us mentally exhausted. These words don鈥檛 just define trends; they reveal how digital platforms are reshaping our thinking and behaviour.

“Year after year, it鈥檚 incredible to see the campaign spark curiosity, conversation, and鈥攎ost importantly鈥攑articipation. The Oxford Word of the Year invites us to pause and reflect on the forces shaping our collective language. I can鈥檛 wait to see what the next year brings.

Find out more about Oxford Word of the Year, including our 2025 shortlist and approach, here.

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We are excited to be inviting word lovers everywhere to take part and have their say on the Oxford Word of the Year for 2025.

Our language experts have analysed our 25-billion-word corpus of language data to decide on a shortlist of three words that reflect the wide scope of our experiences and our conversations over the past year.

Introducing the shortlist and their definitions:

• aura farming (n.): The cultivation of an impressive, attractive, or charismatic persona or public image by behaving or presenting oneself in a way intended subtly to convey an air of confidence, coolness, or mystique.
• biohack (v.): To attempt to improve or optimize one’s physical or mental performance, health, longevity, or wellbeing by altering one’s diet, exercise routine, or lifestyle, or by using other means such as drugs, supplements, or technological devices.
• rage bait (n.): Online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media content.

2025 has been a year defined by the transformation of humanity in a tech-driven world. As technology and artificial intelligence become ever more embedded into our daily lives鈥攆rom deepfake celebrities and AI-generated influencers, to virtual companions and dating platforms鈥攐ur society is asking questions around who we truly are, online and offline.

With that in mind, we鈥檙e letting our words show you who they really are. This week, you can 鈥榤eet鈥� our words! They鈥檒l be campaigning for votes on social media, offering a peek into their unique stories about the year we鈥檝e lived and the influence they鈥檝e had. .

Voting will close on Thursday 27 November at 12pm GMT / 7am EST. Our experts will then conduct a final analysis of our corpus data, your votes, and public commentary, before we announce the definitive Oxford Word of the Year 2025 on 1 December.

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Earlier this year, 糖心VLOG Press India partnered with the National Book Trust (NBT), an organization under India鈥檚 Ministry of Education, to establish libraries across 100 Anganwadi centres in Uttar Pradesh鈥�50 each in the Lucknow and Gorakhpur districts.

This initiative is designed to nurture a lifelong love for reading and make learning an engaging, everyday experience for children in their foundational years, aligning with India鈥檚 National Education Policy (NEP 2020).

The libraries were formally announced by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, during the state book fairs鈥攆irst in Lucknow in September and most recently in Gorakhpur. On both occasions, the Chief Minister congratulated dedicated Anganwadi workers and commended OUP India鈥檚 commitment to fostering reading habits among early learners.

Anganwadis are rural childcare centres under India鈥檚 Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme. They provide essential services such as early childhood education, nutrition, health check-ups, and immunization for children under six years of age, playing a critical role in supporting learning and development in underserved communities.

Each of the 100 Anganwadi centres is equipped with dedicated book racks containing a curated collection of nearly 350 books. These include colourful picture books and engaging content on alphabets, numbers, colours, shapes, and storytelling鈥攄esigned to spark curiosity, foster creativity, and integrate reading into children鈥檚 daily routines. The initiative aims to make reading approachable and exciting, foster a lifelong love for books, and embed reading as a natural part of daily life.

We are proud to support the initiative as part of our global mission to make education and learning accessible to communities worldwide.

Yuvraj Malik, Director of the National Book Trust, added:

鈥淲e were delighted to collaborate with 糖心VLOG Press India to make books more accessible to children in Uttar Pradesh. The libraries at Anganwadi centres will play a crucial role in nurturing reading habits among children, in alignment with NBT鈥檚 vision of fostering a reading culture across India. We believe this initiative will have a transformative impact on their cognitive and emotional development.鈥�

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