This year’s Sõnaus word-creation contest focused on finding new food-related terms, and the jury has selected the top entries.
The winners were:
- Rahke (al dente) — Katrin Ellram
- Taksisai (hot dog) — Mattias Nugin
- Veede (brunch) — Jaanus Kann
The jury also highlighted the following entries:
- Igivõrsuv (regenerative) — Tuuli Reinsoo
- Hubatoit (comfort food) — Ingrid Imelik
- Nipsuroog (fast food) — Gerly Liibek
- Tarje (catering) — Riina Vällo
- Toidujälg (food ecological footprint) — Maarja Kiplok
- Vardaliha (shashlik) — Archibald‑Stiwan Kald, Kaarina Rein, Karmen Koppel, T.M., Grade 7B at Miina Härma Gymnasium and Grade 10A at Tallinn Co‑educational Gymnasium.
The public overwhelmingly chose “varulauk” (roughly: herbs bought as a backup and typically never used), proposed by Tuuli Reinsoo, as their favorite word. It received a combined 1,280 votes on Instagram and Facebook. For Estonian sensibilities, “varulauk” is amusing also because it plays on the word “karulauk” — wild garlic (Allium ursinum) — a popular foraged plant in spring.
The category that drew the most suggestions — 151 entries — was food made from leftovers, including proposals such as “kapiand” (roughly: a cupboard find), “kapinope” (a quick cupboard bite), “pärapraad” (leftovers), “sabasupp” (tail-end soup) and “korjeroog” (foraged dish).
The next most popular term was “brunch,” which received 111 suggested equivalents, including “lõunaskelu” (roughly: leisurely lunchtime hangout), “varalõuna” (early lunch), “päevakost” (daytime fare), and “veede” (lingering over a meal).
Many ideas were also submitted for “catering” (73 suggestions), such as “kostilaud” (roughly: catered table), “einering” (meal service loop) and “katend” (catering setup).
A total of 1,500 new words were submitted to the 2026 Sõnaus competition, including 1,371 unique entries. About one-third came from school students. In total, 380 individuals and 11 educational institutions participated, with schools from Tallinn, Tartu, Rapla, Rae Parish, Elva, and even Helsinki taking part. The youngest participant was 3 years old and the oldest 84, with the average wordsmith age at 40. The most active contributor submitted 151 words.
“In the past 30 years, many new items have appeared on our tables,” said Marja Vaba, a member of the Sõnaus committee, explaining this year’s focus on food vocabulary. “The goal of the competition is not just to introduce new words into the language. It also gives everyone a chance to think about how language works and evolves. We all play a role in preserving the vitality of Estonian.”
Vaba added that only a small fraction of submitted words actually come into widespread use, noting that even the well-known Estonian language reformer Johannes Aavik saw only a limited number of his coinages adopted.
“Sometimes older words can come back into use when a well-known person uses them at the right moment. That’s how a word can spread like wildfire,” she said, citing “taristu” (infrastructure) as an example that gained traction after an earlier Sõnaus competition.
In addition to Vaba, the Sõnaus jury included Estonian Language Institute terminologist Kairi Janson, chefs Peeter Pihel and Hele‑Mai Alamaa, Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce food sector head Meeli Lindsaar, presidential science adviser Arko Olesk, Vabamu CEO Ivo Lille, and Aavik Museum development manager Merit Karise.
The Sõnaus neologism initiative is a joint project by the President’s Office, Vabamu, and the Estonian Language Institute, and is being held for the fourth time. The competition was launched in 2010 by then-President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
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