The PLU Wordsmith Awards

The Votes Are In. The Results Are PLUperfect.

67% said P.L.U.

But what happened next was something else entirely.

We asked. You answered. And then, because you're you, you kept going.

The pronunciation poll came down firmly on the side of P.L.U. — three letters, always — with 67% of the vote. Ploo managed a loyal 8% (and we respect the conviction). Nine percent of you said "People Like Us, in full, every time," which is just very wholesome. And 15% had no idea this was even a thing (I didn't either, when I first heard "Ploo"!), which means we've now initiated a whole new cohort into one of the great internal debates of the Pluniverse.

But the poll was only half the story.

What you did with the comments was something else entirely.

We asked if you'd coined any PLU-words of your own. What followed was a PLUrality of wordplay that honestly made our week. More than forty entries came in from members across the Community — a true PLUnity of minds, spread across time zones, all riffing on the same three letters.

There were words for the feeling of arriving somewhere new and already knowing it's right — DéjàPLU. Words for the journey itself — PLUnge, PLUscape, PLUnpack, PLUncover. Words for the people — PLUmigos, PLUmates, PLUpals, PLUrkers (you know who you are). Words for the spirit of it all — PLUcky, PLUck, PLUtiful, PLUnderful, PLUjoy, PLUvibe, PLUnomous, PLUmania. Words that capture the whole PLUtopia we're collectively building — PLUnity, PLUribus, True PLU.

There was PLUcation — more homes, more people and more places (and also what you're on when an exchange doubles as an education!). PLUsual — the magic standard you hold every exchange to. PLUrring — that contented sound you make when a stay is going particularly well. PLUmerang — open your home and the world opens back (and also the member who keeps coming back to you!). PLU-turn — for when you never seen the world the same way again. PLUnite, PLUnest, PLUprint, PLUwelcome, PLUtique, PLUcal, PLUme, PLUciferous — each one coined with obvious PLUck.

And then there was GL Morris, who submitted PLUPERCALIFRAGLISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS (as did Barbara, with a song, later on), and whom we can only salute.

Lourdes, GL Morris and Rebecca all get notable mentions (and credits) for their PLUocracy of wordsmithing.

The PLU Wordsmith Awards

We said we'd celebrate the best, and we meant it. So rather than a poll — because honestly, judging this Community feels a bit like judging which house you'd most like to stay in — we've chosen eight words for special recognition, each with a renewal credit going to the member who coined it.

🏆 The One We'll Actually Use — PLUber — coined before the contest even started, already in the wild, and honestly just perfect. (Donna)

🏆 Most Likely to Appear in a Dictionary — PLUperfect — a real word, repurposed with impeccable timing. (Veronica)

🏆 Best Use of Latin — PLUribus — from E pluribus unum, out of many, one. For a community built across borders, that's not just wordplay. That's a mission statement. (Deanna)

🏆 The Sleeper Hit — DéjàPLU — That feeling when a stranger's home immediately feels like yours. We didn't know we needed this word until we had it. (Lourdes)

🏆 The One That Captures Everything — PLUnity — simple, warm, and exactly what this Community is. (Debby)

🏆 The Neologism We Didn't Know We Needed — Ploob — a member in their first year, like a noob or a newbie. I'll be using that. Welcome, all you Ploobs. (Danni)

🏆 The Epic — PLUPERCALIFRAGLISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS — we cannot improve on this. We will not try. (GL Morris)

🏆 The Feature Drop — PLUpals — we liked this one so much, we're already putting it to work. Watch this space. (Ciara)

A credit has been applied to the membership account for each of our winners. ❤️

A final word

What started as a lighthearted question about how you say three letters turned into something that felt very typically PLU — warm, creative, a little bit silly in the best way, and genuinely Community-made.

The Pluniverse is bigger than it was even just last week, and it's PLUnderful. 🏡