The website Dictionary.com has chosen the term ‘misinformation ’ as its word of the year . The announcement comes less than two weeks after Oxford Dictionaries chose ‘toxic ’ as its word of the year . Many people mix up the meaning of misinformation with the word disinformation . They sometimes use one term in place of the other . Dictionary.com defines misinformation as “false information that is spread , regardless of whether there is intent to mislead .” So what's the difference ? Officials at Dictionary.com say it comes down to what the writer or speaker actually means . They say that “when people spread misinformation , they often believe the information they are sharing .” But disinformation is often shared with the goal of misleading others . For example , if people share information that they know to be false in a story or a picture , that is disinformation . Jane Solomon is a language expert with Dictionary.com . She told VOA that the choice of misinformation , instead of disinformation , was done for a reason . She said , “disinformation is a word that looks outside of ourselves . You can point a finger at someone who is spreading this disinformation .” As for misinformation , “there is a quality of looking inward and it helps us evaluate our own behavior ” to fight against the spread of misinformation . The word misinformation has been used since the late 1500s . But Solomon said the word was chosen this year because it also “ties to a lot of events that are happening in 2018 .” In Myanmar , misinformation , like hate speech and propaganda , fueled violence against Rohingya Muslims . And there were riots in Sri Lanka after stories that proved false set the country's Buddhist majority against Muslims . And stories about Brazil's recent presidential election were filled with misinformation , everything from incorrect voting times to false campaign promises . Facebook and other social media websites have published misinformation , including images of police arresting immigrants and long lines at voting stations in the United States . They also posted incorrect voting hours and false voting requirements before the November 6 elections . She noted that the online publisher has chosen words like identity in 2015 , xenophobia in 2016 , and complicit in 2017 .