The most used word of 2014 isn't even a word

We "heart" emojis. Seriously. The most used word of 2014 wasn't even a word, it was that little cartoon heart you put at the end of text messages.

Media company Global Language Monitor released its 15th annual survey of the English language and found that variations of the heart and love emojis are used billions of times a day around the world. It is the first time a symbol has earned the "top word" distinction.

"Each emoji represents an emotion, expression, or state of mind, or a person, place or thing, so much so, that we see the birth of the AlphaBorg or AlphaBit," Paul JJ Payack, President and Chief Word Analyst of the Global Language Monitor, said in a blog post on the company's website.

"Hashtag" and "vape" followed the heart emoji on the list of top words for the year.

Top Words of 2014

1. The Heart Emoji (for love)


2. Hashtag


3. Vape


4. Blood Moon


5. Nano


6. Photo Bomb


7. Caliphate


8. (White) privilege


9. Bae


10. "Bash" Tag


11. Transparency


12. Sustainable


13. Clickbait


14. Quindecennial


15. Comet

Last year, the top words were "404," "fail" and "hashtag."

Global Language Monitor also ranks top phrases and this year, "Hands Up, Don't Shoot," the rallying chant of protesters following the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., topped the list.

To qualify for Global Language Monitor's lists, words, phrases and names must be used broadly used around the globe and have a minimum of 25,000 citations.