Only One of These Emojis Will Be Added – Which One Would You Use More?

It’s emoji showdown time, and there can be only one.

Two contenders are currently battling it out for a spot on your phone’s emoji keyboard: Face with Squinting Eyes vs. Cracking Face. Only one is expected to make the final cut this year, so the question is… which one would you use more?

The Unicode Consortium – a group of very serious people who decide which emojis get added – will pick the eventual winner. It’s like The Emoji Bachelor, and only one face gets the final rose.

Squinting Eyes was originally selected, but now they’re having second thoughts and may replace it with Cracking Face.

Let’s meet the contenders.

Squinting Eyes

It’s giving “Wait, what am I looking at?” or “That can’t be right…”. It could mean you’re confused, suspicious, trying to read tiny print, or just throwing a little side-eye without going full shady. It’s a little redundant with the monocle emoji, but more casual. Kind of like the monocle emoji’s skeptical little brother who doesn’t own a monocle, but does squint at receipts. 🧐

Cracking Face

This one looks like someone dropped it on the floor. It’s meant to symbolize feeling damaged or broken – physically, mentally, or spiritually – but still holding it together. Think: “I’m barely functioning, but I’m here!” They also expect it to get used sarcastically, which feels on-brand.

Which one would you use more?

So, what’s it gonna be? The “I’m not buying it” squint? Or the “mentally shattered, but here for it” cracked face? One is skeptical, the other unhinged – but both are relatable this day and age. (For our money, it seems like Squinting Eyes offers a little more bang for its buck. But it’s hard to argue the average person isn’t feeling somewhat shattered these days.)

It sounds like Cracking Face could be the eventual winner, but you never know which way the top brass at Unicode might go. They’re the same folks who OK’d the Dotted Line Face emoji (🫥) that no one has ever used, so they’re hard to read and don’t always make the obvious choice.

Eight More Emojis We’re Definitely Getting Soon

The rest of the new emojis on the docket seem to be safe and sound on the final list. Here are the other eight we’ll probably be seeing when the update rolls out in early 2027. (Yep, emoji approval is a slow process.)