"Lagom" wins when Språktidningen's readers vote for the best word in Swedish. "Fika" comes in second place.
"For many, Lagom is a symbol of a kind of Swedish mentality. For some, it's about striving for balance in life, for others, about not standing out in a negative way by, for example, only thinking about oneself," says the magazine's editor-in-chief, Anders Svensson, in a press release.
According to Språktidningen, "lagom" has been in the Swedish language since the early 17th century. The poll shows that the word is particularly popular among those aged 18-34.
“The fact that the word is perceived as difficult to translate into other languages contributes to the feeling that lagom is something unique to Sweden and Swedish,” says Svensson.
The ten best words in Swedish, according to Språktidningen's readers:
1. just right: 23.4 percent
2. coffee: 15.6 percent
3. public right of way: 12.3 percent
4. yes: 9.2 percent
5. forget-me-not: 8.5 percent
6. morning redness: 7.4 percent
7. together: 7.3 percent
8. day of May: 6.9 percent
9. sorry: 5.9 percent
10. maybe: 3.5 percent
The poll was also carried out by Novus on behalf of Språktidningen. There, too, lagom was a clear winner.
