Pop Culture word list

A British singer of massive ballads.

“One Adele song and the party got emotional.”

A famous person's signature.

“He got an autograph from the mascot.”

The world's most famous doll.

“The Barbie aisle broke his budget.”

The caped crusader of Gotham.

“He whispers like Batman when he is tired.”

The ghost you must not name three times.

“Say Beetlejuice three times, spell it once.”

American singer and cultural landmark.

“Nobody is spelling Beyonce correctly tonight.”

Also accepted: Beyoncé

The Hindi-language film industry.

“Bollywood does dance numbers better.”

A Tennessee music and arts festival.

“He came back from Bonnaroo a different man.”

New York's famous theater district.

“She sings like Broadway is watching.”

A beloved character actor with famous eyes.

“He spelled Buscemi how it sounds, fatal error.”

The surname of singer and actor Sabrina Carpenter.

“Someone confidently said Carpenter in the pop-culture round and immediately got challenged on the spelling.”

A famous person.

“A celebrity walked past and nobody blinked.”

The surname of Hollywood's favorite Timothee.

“She spelled Chalamet with three accents, all wrong.”

The first name of pop star Chappell Roan.

“Two p's and two l's in Chappell, he found neither.”

The first name used professionally by pop artist Charli XCX.

“Someone mentioned Charli during the pop-culture round, and the conversation took a turn.”

A music festival in the California desert.

“Her whole personality is Coachella.”

The practice of dressing and performing as a character from fiction, games, anime, or other media.

“Cosplay turned the pop-culture round into an unexpectedly competitive spelling moment.”

The surname of British actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

“At the pop-culture round, Cumberbatch came up and everyone immediately had an opinion.”

A major entertainment company known for animated films, theme parks, franchises, and streaming media.

“The pop-culture round group recognized Disney, then started arguing about which letters came next.”

A glamorous, demanding star.

“The cat is the true diva of this house.”

A Grammy-winning rapper from Florida.

“He added one i too few to Doechii.”

A Canadian rap superstar.

“He quotes Drake in job interviews.”

The surname of pop star Billie.

“Whisper-singing does not help you spell Eilish.”

The surname of British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.

“The pop-culture round group recognized Ejiofor, then started arguing about which letters came next.”

The king of rock and roll.

“Uncle Ray does Elvis at every wedding.”

A rap legend from Detroit.

“He tried to spell Eminem like the candy.”

The group surrounding a famous person.

“He brought an entourage to brunch.”

The community of a thing's fans.

“The fandom turned on the writers.”

Stories written by fans using characters, settings, or worlds from existing works.

“The pop-culture round paused for a second when fanfiction showed up.”

The stage surname used by singer and actor Lady Gaga.

“The host repeated Gaga twice in the pop-culture round before anyone wanted to go first.”

The comedian from The Hangover.

“Galifianakis ended the game on the spot.”

The legendary British music festival.

“Glastonbury mud claimed both his shoes.”

The surname of singer and actor Ariana Grande.

“Someone confidently said Grande in the pop-culture round and immediately got challenged on the spelling.”

A devoted follower of a band.

“She is a groupie for the taco truck.”

The surname of Italian film director Luca Guadagnino.

“When Guadagnino appeared, the pop-culture round got noticeably louder.”

The surname of acting siblings Jake and Maggie.

“Gyllenhaal is a spelling jump scare.”

The wizarding school from Harry Potter.

“He is still waiting on his Hogwarts letter.”

Someone with an online following.

“The influencer filmed the whole dinner.”

Having enough cultural reach or authority to shape other people's tastes, opinions, or behavior.

“One person at the pop-culture round swore they knew influential; the spelling attempt said otherwise.”

The first name of actor Joaquin Phoenix.

“The host repeated Joaquin twice in the pop-culture round before anyone wanted to go first.”

A family famous for being famous.

“Another Kardashian launched another brand.”

The first name of rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar.

“Someone used Kendrick correctly during the pop-culture round, then immediately second-guessed the spelling.”

The surname of rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar.

“Nobody expected Lamar to become the most memorable word of the pop-culture round.”

The focus of public attention.

“The baby stole the limelight at the reunion.”

A giant traveling music festival.

“He survived Lollapalooza but not this word.”

Widely popular, familiar, or accepted by a large general audience.

“As soon as mainstream appeared in the pop-culture round, everyone started silently counting letters.”

A major entertainment brand known for superhero comics, films, and characters such as Spider-Man and the Avengers.

“As soon as Marvel appeared in the pop-culture round, everyone started silently counting letters.”

The Texan actor of alright-alright-alright fame.

“Nobody has ever spelled McConaughey correctly.”

Objects kept for their associations.

“His room is all sports memorabilia.”

Merchandise sold by an artist or brand.

“His entire closet is tour merch.”

Branded products sold in connection with an artist, franchise, event, or entertainment property.

“Merchandise sounded easy in the pop-culture round until somebody had to spell it without autocorrect.”

A titan of heavy metal bands.

“Grandma requested Metallica, twice.”

A global streaming service and entertainment company known for films and television series.

“The room knew exactly what Netflix meant during the pop-culture round and still hesitated on the spelling.”

A legendary American talk show host.

“She gives gifts like she is Oprah.”

The surname of actor Jenna Ortega.

“Someone mentioned Ortega during the pop-culture round, and the conversation took a turn.”

Photographers who chase famous people.

“The paparazzi found the back exit.”

The surname of actor Pedro Pascal.

“The pop-culture round paused for a second when Pascal showed up.”

An audio show released in episodes.

“He started a podcast about starting podcasts.”

A Japanese media franchise centered on collectible creatures called Pokémon.

“One person at the pop-culture round swore they knew Pokemon; the spelling attempt said otherwise.”

Also accepted: Pokémon

A large printed picture for a wall.

“The poster is signed, allegedly.”

A Barbadian pop and business icon.

“Two n's in Rihanna, one in his answer.”

The stage surname used by singer-songwriter Chappell Roan.

“Nobody expected Roan to become the most memorable word of the pop-culture round.”

The first name of Irish actress Saoirse Ronan.

“Saoirse looks nothing like it sounds.”

The action star who became a governor.

“Schwarzenegger terminated his winning streak.”

A photo taken of yourself.

“The selfie took forty attempts.”

A Colombian superstar whose hips don't lie.

“One Shakira song and the floor cleared.”

The director famous for twist endings.

“The twist was nobody could spell Shyamalan.”

Watching or listening to media over the internet without downloading the entire file first.

“Streaming sounded easy in the pop-culture round until somebody had to spell it without autocorrect.”

A fictional hero with extraordinary abilities, technology, or skills who fights threats or injustice.

“At the pop-culture round, superhero came up and everyone immediately had an opinion.”

A devoted Taylor Swift fan.

“The resident Swiftie decoded the whole album.”

A gossip-heavy newspaper.

“The family group chat is a tabloid.”

A social media platform centered on short-form vertical videos.

“Everyone in the pop-culture round knew TikTok, but spelling it aloud was another story.”

A first name currently everywhere.

“Timothee is in absolutely every movie.”

Also accepted: Timothée

A person or brand that helps start styles, behaviors, or cultural trends that others follow.

“Trendsetter was the one word everyone remembered after the pop-culture round.”

The surname of Canadian film director Denis Villeneuve.

“Nobody expected Villeneuve to become the most memorable word of the pop-culture round.”

The fictional high-tech African nation of Black Panther.

“Their family reunion had Wakanda energy.”

An online video platform where users watch, upload, and share videos.

“YouTube was the one word everyone remembered after the pop-culture round.”

The defining ideas, mood, and cultural spirit of a particular period.

“Someone confidently said zeitgeist in the pop-culture round and immediately got challenged on the spelling.”

American actress and singer.

“Zendaya wore the wildest thing there.”