原田英語の時事英語ジュニア|英語ニュース ワークシート(高校生レベル)
Class ____ No. ____ Name ____________________
lore(ロア)とは?意味と使い方 SNSで1000万回以上使われた「今年の言葉」
Lore Tops Social Media Word List for 2026
1The word lore has been named the 2026 social media word of the year by Sprout Social, a company that makes software for social media. The company announced its choice on October 14 in its second annual Social Media Dictionary. It said lore had been mentioned more than 10 million times in public posts on major platforms this year.
2Lore is far from new. In Old English, it mainly meant learning, and it later came to mean knowledge that people passed on by word of mouth. Fans then gave the word a new life, using it for the collected facts and stories surrounding a character or an imaginary universe. In 1969, a Star Trek fan published an unofficial reference book on the series, full of details that fans today would call lore.
3Today, the word is no longer limited to fiction and celebrities. On TikTok, ordinary users post their own lore, such as dad lore, which covers stories about their fathers. Sprout Social linked the word's popularity to casual trends, including the moment of realizing that a friend has lore.
4The company said the rise of lore reflects a move away from quick, shallow posts. Instead, it said, users want content with background and a story.
5Other words on the list included slop, with 8.8 million mentions, as users complained about poor-quality AI content made in bulk. Niche appeared 4.2 million times, and maxxing, which the company tied to a focus on optimization, had 3.5 million.
6Sprout Social's first dictionary, released in December 2025, named aura as its word of the year. That word was measured in a different way, with 31.9 billion impressions on big social media sites.
Words 単語
| annualB1 | 形 | 毎年の、年に1回のhappening once every year |
| platformsB1 | 名 | (SNS などの)サービス、プラットフォームwebsites or apps where people post and share things |
| word of mouthA1 | 熟 | 口コミ、口伝えpeople telling other people, not writing it down |
| imaginaryB1 | 形 | 想像上の、空想のnot real, only in the mind |
| unofficialB2 | 形 | 非公式のnot made or approved by the people in charge |
| limitedB1 | 形 | 限られた(be limited to ~ で「~だけに限られる」)only for a small group or amount |
| ordinaryB1 | 形 | ふつうの、一般のnormal, not special or famous |
| reflectsA2 | 動 | 表す、反映するshows what something is like |
| shallowB1 | 形 | 浅い、中身のうすいnot deep, without much thinking |
| complainedA2 | 動 | 不満を言ったsaid that you were not happy about something |
単語のレベル:CEFR-J(『CEFR-J Wordlist Version 1.6』 東京外国語大学投野由紀夫研究室. (URL: https://www.cefr-j.org/download.html より 2026年8月ダウンロード))
1. Reading Quiz 本文の内容に合うものを選ぼう
What did Sprout Social release on October 14?
A. A new social media appB. Its second annual Social Media DictionaryC. A Star Trek reference bookD. A list of popular TikTok videos
What did lore mainly mean in Old English?
A. LearningB. A story about a fatherC. A famous personD. A short video
According to the company, what do users want now?
A. Quick and shallow postsB. More AI content made in bulkC. Content with background and a storyD. Fewer social media platforms
How many times did niche appear?
A. 10 million timesB. 8.8 million timesC. 3.5 million timesD. 4.2 million times
What does the article say about the number for aura?
A. It was measured in a different way.B. It was counted only in 1969.C. It was counted only on TikTok.D. It was smaller than the number for slop.
2. True or False 正しければ T、違っていれば F
( ) Sprout Social makes software for social media.
( ) Lore was first used by Star Trek fans in 1969.
( ) Today, ordinary users on TikTok post their own lore.
( ) Slop was mentioned more times than lore.
3. Fill in the Blanks 下の語から選んで空らんをうめよう(形を変えずに)
imaginaryordinaryunofficiallimitedannualplatforms
In 1969, a Star Trek fan published an _____ reference book on the series, full of details that fans today would call lore.
It said lore had been mentioned more than 10 million times in public posts on major _____ this year.
Fans then gave the word a new life, using it for the collected facts and stories surrounding a character or an _____ universe.
The company announced its choice on October 14 in its second _____ Social Media Dictionary.
On TikTok, _____ users post their own lore, such as dad lore, which covers stories about their fathers.
Today, the word is no longer _____ to fiction and celebrities.
4. Word Order 語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう
( Today, / no / and / fiction / to / the / celebrities / limited / is / word / longer ) .
( new / Lore / far / from / is ) .
( Instead, / background / said, / with / and / story / a / users / content / it / want ) .
5. Think and Write 英語で答えてみよう
Do you prefer short, quick posts or posts with background and a story? Why?(あなたは、短くてすぐ見られる投稿と、背景や物語のある中身のどちらが好きですか?その理由は?)
Slop is a word for poor-quality AI content. Should social media apps label posts made by AI? Why or why not?(slop は質の低い AI の中身を指す言葉です。SNS のアプリは、AI が作った投稿にしるしをつけるべきだと思いますか?その理由は?)

Answers 解答
1. (1) B (2) A (3) C (4) D (5) A
2. (1) T (2) F (3) T (4) F
3. (1) unofficial (2) platforms (3) imaginary (4) annual (5) ordinary (6) limited
4.
- Today, the word is no longer limited to fiction and celebrities.
- Lore is far from new.
- Instead, it said, users want content with background and a story.
全文訳
1lore という言葉が、SNS向けのソフトを作る会社スプラウト・ソーシャルによって、2026年の「SNSの今年の言葉」に選ばれました。同社は10月14日、毎年出している「ソーシャルメディア辞典」の2回目の版で、この選定を発表しました。同社によると、lore は今年、大手のSNSのだれでも見られる投稿で1000万回以上使われました。
2lore は、ずっと昔からある言葉です。古英語ではおもに「学び」を意味し、のちに人から人へ口伝えで受けつがれる知識を指すようになりました。その後、ファンがこの言葉に新しい命をふきこみ、あるキャラクターや空想の世界のまわりに集まった事実やお話を指すのに使いはじめました。1969年には、「スター・トレック」のファンが、いまのファンなら lore と呼びそうな細かい情報をまとめた、このシリーズの非公式の資料本を出しました。
3今では、この言葉は作り話や有名人だけのものではなくなっています。TikTok では、ふつうの人たちが自分の lore を投稿しています。たとえば「お父さんの lore」は、自分の父親についての話です。スプラウト・ソーシャルは、この言葉の人気を、「友だちに lore があると気づく瞬間」のような気軽な流行と結びつけています。
4同社は、lore の広まりは、すばやく浅い投稿から人々が離れていることを表していると述べました。そのかわりに、利用者は背景や物語のある中身を求めているのだと言います。
5リストのほかの言葉には、880万回使われた slop(スロップ)がありました。AI が大量に作る質の低い中身に、利用者が不満を言ったためです。niche(ニッチ)は420万回、最適化(できるだけよくすること)を重視する風潮と同社が結びつけた maxxing(マクシング)は350万回でした。
62025年12月に出たスプラウト・ソーシャルの1回目の辞典では、aura(オーラ)が今年の言葉に選ばれました。この言葉は別のやり方で数えられていて、大手のSNS全体で319億回表示されました。
文法ポイント:過去完了の受け身(had been + 過去分詞)
「(その時までに)~されていた」を表す。本文の It said lore had been mentioned more than 10 million times は、said(言った)より前に「1000万回以上使われていた」ことを表す。時制の一致で、直接の言い方 Lore has been mentioned ... が had been mentioned になっている。
出典:Sprout Social(公式の発表)、The Manila Times(GlobeNewswire の配信)、The Conversation(Yahoo News UK に転載)、Sprout Social(公式の発表) ほか(記事は原田英語の時事英語ジュニアのオリジナル)|https://www.haradaeigo.com/jijieigo-junior/news/2026-10-19-lore-social-media-word/