Five top words or phrases were chosen from hundreds of candidates - "social distancing", "work from home", "recovery", "pandemic" and "shared future".

The World Health Organization declared in March the spread of COVID-19 had become a pandemic. More than 200 countries and territories around the world have reported confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Global health authorities and vaccine developers are currently partnering to support the infrastructure needed to produce vaccines.

Since COVID-19 is one of history's deadliest and most infectious viruses, the word "pandemic" has been chosen because it can best summarize what the entire world experienced in 2020.

"This year people from all nations and areas have been fighting against COVID-19. It embodies our unity and resolve to control the pandemic and protect people's lives," a reader named "BULABA" said.

In second place was "shared future" with 27 percent of votes. "It shows unprecedented events, such as natural disasters, economic recessions and COVID-19, have brought the world closer", a reader with the username "George" said.

The phrase "social distancing" received 21 percent of votes as more people realized the importance of staying spaced apart during the pandemic. Rounding out the top five, 10 percent of votes went to "recovery" and "work from home" received 8 percent.