Spoken language is dying — with people saying about 30% fewer words than 20 years ago: study

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · Aug 07, 2026 · 421 words · By Natalie O'Neill

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What to know about Technological Alienation

Spoken language is dying — with people saying about 30% fewer words than 20 years ago: study See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 3

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Spoken language is dying — with people saying about 30% fewer words than 20 years ago: study See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google America’s at a loss for words!

Common ground

Spoken language is dying, with people speaking about 30% fewer words a day than they did 20 years ago — fueling a “loneliness epidemic” of disconnected convenience-seekers, according to a new study and experts.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Causal Oversimplification, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Technological Alienation story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The loss of language was worst among people under age 25, who spoke an average of 451 fewer words a year compared to 314 words annually for participants 25 and older?
How does this story connect Technological Alienation with Social Decline over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/07/us-news/spoken-language-is-dying-as-people-say-abo…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 95% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence

Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 85% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “The loss of language was worst among people under age 25, who spoke an average of 451 fewer words a year compared to 314 words annually for participants 25 and older”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the specific breakdown of word loss: 451 words for those under 25 and 314 words for those 25 and older.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Participants under 25 lost 451 words a year, on average, compared with 314 words a year for participants 25 and older, a 44% larger decline for the younger group. But Pfeifer stopped short of pinning …
https://fortune.com/2026/08/06/were-me-maxxing-so-much-were-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The decline was steepest among those under 25, who spoke an average of 451 fewer words per year, compared with 314 fewer words annually among participants 25 and older — a drop that was 44% larger for…
https://internewscast.com/news/us/people-speak-30-fewer-word…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — I find myself confronted with evidence that people are taking the expression “say less” literally. A study recently reported in the Atlantic found that daily spoken word counts declined by around 300 …
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/17/every-…

info

Claim 2: “study of roughly 2,200 participants, largely in the US”

SINGLE SOURCE

While one source mentions 'roughly 2,200 participants', other search results for the specific number 2,200 were irrelevant (e.g., medical trials or cars). One source mentions 'over 2,000 participants'. Not enough independent corroboration for the exact number 2,200.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States). The U.S. also possesses five major territor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “the average person speaks 338 fewer words daily every year that’s passed since 2005”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the specific figure of a decrease of approximately 338 words per year since 2005.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6×70mm or 8.58×70mm) is a Finnish rimless, bottlenecked, centerfire rifle cartridge. It was developed during the 1980s as a high-powered, long-range cartridge for military sni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.338_Lapua_Magnum

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The .338 Norma Magnum is a rifle cartridge designed by Norma of Sweden. It was first introduced in 2008 and came into production in 2009. It is primarily intended for long-range precision shooting, th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.338_Norma_Magnum

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Year 338 (CCCXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Ursus and Polemius (or, less frequently, year 1091 Ab urbe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/338

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “report, published in the Perspectives on Psychological Science”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources identify 'Perspectives on Psychological Science' as the journal where the study was published, and Wikipedia confirms the journal exists.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Crowdsourced science (not to be confused with citizen science, a subtype of crowdsourced science) refers to collaborative contributions of a large group of people to the different steps of the researc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourced_psychological_sci…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Perspectives on Psychological Science is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal of psychology. The journal was established in 2006 and the founding editor was Ed Diener (University of Illinois at …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspectives_on_Psychological_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both conscious and unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “people saying about 30% fewer words than 20 years ago”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources report that people are saying about 30% fewer words per day than 20 years ago.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 20/20 is the fourth studio album by American hip hop trio Dilated Peoples. It was released on February 21, 2006, through ABB/Capitol Records. The recording sessions took place at Soundproof East in Lo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20/20_(Dilated_Peoples_album)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The term "the people" refers to the public or common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for cla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 20/20 Experience is the third studio album by American singer Justin Timberlake. It was released on March 15, 2013, through RCA Records, as the follow-up to his second studio album, FutureSex/Love…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_20/20_Experience

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “people speak an average of 12,792 words per day now”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources explicitly state the current average of 12,792 words per day.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Impossible (Spanish: Lo imposible) is a 2012 English-language Spanish biographical disaster drama film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Sergio G. Sánchez. It is based on the experience of M…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Impossible_(2012_film)

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 7: “Matthias Mehl of the University of Arizona”

VERIFIED

Multiple authoritative sources confirm Matthias Mehl is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Matthias Mehl. Interim Associate Head and Director of Grad Studies. Professor, Psychology.1428 E. University Blvd, Room 102, Tucson, AZ 85721.
https://ur.arizona.edu/person/matthias-mehl

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Matthias Mehl Department of Psychology University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85721 United States of America. Phone: (520) 626-2374. Fax: (520) 621-9306. Send a message to Matthias Mehl. Your full name
https://mehl.socialpsychology.org/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Matthias R. Mehl. University of Arizona | UA · Department of Psychology. Ph.D. Contact.Additional affiliations. January 2001 - June 2004. University of Texas at Austin.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Matthias-Mehl

verified

Claim 8: “Valeria Pfeifer of the University of Missouri–Kansas City”

VERIFIED

Multiple sources, including university-affiliated pages, confirm Valeria Pfeifer is an Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Valeria Pfeifer. Assistant Professor, University of Missouri - Kansas City.
https://openreview.net/profile?id=~Valeria_Pfeifer1

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — University of Missouri-Kansas city.Pfeifer has a background in linguistics and psychology, receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and worked as a postdoctoral researcher there for three ye…
https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/march/are-we-talking-le…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Research from the University of Missouri-Kansas City reveals that people are speaking 338 fewer words on average, according to a study of over 2,000 participants conducted over the past 14 years.Valer…
https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2026-04-08/are-peopl…

help

Claim 9: “researchers analyzed participants ages 10 to 94 using a device that passively recorded parts of their day”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific age range (10-94) or the use of passive recording devices.

help

Claim 10: “The analysis combined data from 22 separate studies conducted between 2005 and 2019, mostly in the US but also in Mexico, Australia and Europe”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the meta-analysis of 22 separate studies or the specific countries involved (Mexico, Australia, Europe).

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.