The "Words of the Year 2025" campaign once again showed how public topics directly transfer into people's language. The final stage of the survey was conducted from January 11 to 17, 2026, and participants voted for the dominant and significant words and phrases for Bulgaria in 2025.

Each participant had the right to choose up to 3 suggestions, which explains why the sum of the percentages is greater than 100.

Where is "volleyball" in the ranking?

The word "volleyball" ranks 4th with a result of 24.61% – an exceptionally strong presence for a sports term in a ranking dominated by social, political, and economic topics.

The reason: 2025 was a year of major breakthroughs.

The reason "volleyball" became one of the most recognizable words of the year is clear – Bulgaria experienced historical moments that brought the game back into the spotlight:

• The silver medals of the men's national team from the World Championship in the Philippines – a result that propelled the topic into news feeds, social media, and daily conversations.
  

  
  

• The World Title of the women's U19 national team – a success that not only brought gold but also gave hope for the future of Bulgarian volleyball at the highest level.
  

  
  

These two results ensured that the word "volleyball" was not just a sports category, but a symbol of national pride and a real achievement.

The first three words – "euro" (42.51%), "outrage" (32.84%), and "protest" (25.05%) – clearly outline the tension in society and the dominance of topics related to money, politics, and discontent. Against this backdrop, "volleyball" (24.61%) is a striking exception: it entered the Top 4 not because of a scandal or conflict, but because of results that united people. The men's silver medal and the U19 girls' world title turned volleyball into one of the few topics of the year carrying a positive charge and national pride.