Card Greetings: Slang Evolution

A 455% surge in the use of the word 'mogging' marks the fastest growth in greetings card vocabulary this year, according to an analysis by Moonpig. The online card retailer examined millions of personalized messages to track shifting linguistic trends among customers.

'Mogging,' defined by the Collins English Dictionary as its word of the year, refers to outshining or upstaging someone. The term has moved from internet culture into physical and digital cards sent to friends and family. It now leads a pack of slang terms that are replacing standard phrases in personal celebrations.

Other words are also gaining traction, though at a slower pace. References to '6-7,' a slang term for attractiveness, increased by 164% in card messages. The word 'aura' saw a more modest rise of 8%, indicating a steady but slower adoption rate compared to the viral success of 'mogging.'

Terms that dominated conversations in 2025 are now fading from the pages of greeting cards. 'Sigma' has dropped by 62%, while 'skibidi' has fallen by 59%. 'Rizz' is down 41% and 'slay' has declined by 30%, suggesting that these phrases have reached a saturation point and are losing their novelty for card writers.

Despite the churn of new slang, one term maintains its position as the most frequent. 'Pookie' appears in more than 17,000 cards so far this year. The data shows that while newer words are rising rapidly, 'pookie' continues to serve as a primary term of endearment in the industry's tracked messages.