Brits may be known for a penchant for swearing, but compared with the Americans we're only second best (file photo)
Share this @internewscast.com

Brits famously have a penchant for swearing, but compared with the Americans we’re merely beginners. 

A new profanity-littered study reveals that Brits are the second-most prolific swearers in the world, behind only the United States. 

The researchers in Brisbane, Australia, analysed the use of written vulgarities in 20 English-speaking nations. 

Nearly 0.04 per cent of the written word from Americans is a vulgarity, they found – ahead of Britain, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand. 

In Britain, the preferred offensive term appears to be ‘c***’, whereas ‘a*****e’ is especially popular in America, and ‘feck’ enjoys affection in Ireland.

But the dataset includes some even more offensive terms used around the world that cannot be printed. 

‘Cultural differences are reflected in region-specific preferences for vulgarity,’ say the authors, from the University of Queensland. 

Scroll down for the full list!  

Brits may be known for a penchant for swearing, but compared with the Americans we're only second best (file photo)

Brits may be known for a penchant for swearing, but compared with the Americans we’re only second best (file photo)

The focus of the researchers was to explore the cultural variations in the use of offensive language, which encompasses swear words, slurs, and their numerous variations and misspellings.

The study concentrated solely on the written usage of vulgarities found in blogs, articles, and various web content, excluding the spoken form, which is more challenging to record.

The analysed a database of more than 1.7 billion words of online content across 20 English-speaking countries. 

The 20 countries were Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Britain, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and the US. 

In some of the countries, such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, English is a commonly spoken secondary language.

Overall, they found the 0.036 per cent of the United States written output was made up of vulgar elements – more than any other nation. 

This was followed by 0.025 for Britain, 0.022 per cent for Australia, 0.021 for Singapore and 0.02 per cent for New Zealand. 

Also in the top 10 were Malaysia and Ireland (both at 0.019 per cent), Jamaica and Canada (both 0.017 per cent) and Nigeria (0.016 per cent). 

Out of 20 global countries, Brits are the second-most prolific swearers in the world, behind only the United States but ahead of Australia

Out of 20 global countries, Brits are the second-most prolific swearers in the world, behind only the United States but ahead of Australia 

Swearing proficiency of English-speaking nations – ranked

  1. US
  2. Britain
  3. Australia
  4. Singapore
  5. New Zealand 
  6. Malaysia 
  7. Ireland 
  8. Jamaica
  9. Canada
  10. Nigeria 
  11. Philippines
  12. Sri Lanka
  13. South Africa
  14. Kenya
  15. Pakistan
  16. India
  17. Hong Kong
  18. Tanzania
  19. Ghana  
  20. Bangladesh 

On the other end of the scale, the more mild-spoken nations were Bangladesh (just 0.007 per cent), Ghana and Tanzania (both 0.008 per cent) and Hong Kong (0.009 per cent). 

Overall, vulgarity was more common in blogs compared with general web content – likely because when writing blogs, people are generally less formal and so are inclined swear more. 

Interestingly, Americans tend to use ‘a*****e’, ‘f***’ and ‘damn’ but avoid typically British words such as ‘bloody’, the experts found. 

Brits, meanwhile, particularly like ‘c***’, ‘bloody’ and ‘tw**’ but are less enamoured with the likes of ‘damn’ and ‘a*****e’. 

Overall, across the 20 nations, ‘f***’ is generally a favourite, but there are numerous variations with use both as a verb and a noun (including the classic Irish variation).

Online use of this most-beloved of swear word seems to be associated with creative use of spellings, such as superfluous repetition of certain vowels (for example, ‘f***kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk’). 

And despite being in the bottom half for swearing generally, Pakistan had a surprising fondness for one word in particular – ‘butthole’. 

The new study, published in the journal Lingua, marks the first large-scale analysis of its kind, according to the authors. They describe vulgar language as ‘the natural playground for unleashing linguistic creativity’, while humans are ‘constantly reimagining and adapting the aesthetics of their expressions’.

The new results show that different regions exhibit preferences for specific vulgar terms (file image)

The new results show that different regions exhibit preferences for specific vulgar terms (file image)

But the team were surprised that Australians swear online less frequently than Americans or the British, despite the especially foul-mouthed reputation of people in their home country. 

‘One possible explanation is that Australians are more conservative when they write online but not so much when they are face-to-face,’ said lead author Dr Martin Schweinberger. 

‘Australians really see vulgarity, swearing and slang as part of our culture – we’re very invested in it.’ 

The study, he added, can help people in new countries anticipate whether or not swearing is an important part of the social fabric. 

‘For language learners and immigrants, knowing how to adjust their language to different social situations is just as important as mastering grammar or vocabulary. 

‘Being able to understand when it’s appropriate to use humor, informal expressions, or even mild vulgarity can make a big difference in feeling included, building relationships, and navigating everyday life in a new culture.

‘It’s not just about speaking correctly – it’s about speaking appropriately.’ 

Future studies could look at swearing habits beyond these 20 countries and in numerous different global languages. 

This is the ultimate curse word: Mathematician creates entirely new offensive term using computer algorithm 

A mathematician has created a curse word based on a list of 186 offensive terms – and she said it is ‘the world’s ultimate swear word’. 

Sophie Maclean, a student at Kings College London, fed a list of popular ‘bad words’ to a computer model to generate a new one.

It found the supreme swear word begins with the letter ‘b,’ has four letters and ends in ‘-er.’ 

And although the word is already used in English in another context, it could offer a satisfying new alternative to ‘f***’ and ‘s***’. 

According to Maclean, swearing does have some good uses; it can help to reduce pain if you stub your toe. 

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Carolina Wilga: Latest Updates on the Disappearance of a German Backpacker

There are grave concerns for German backpacker Carolina Wilga, who disappeared while…
Nutella maker Ferrero plans to buy cereal maker WK Kellogg for $3.1b

Ferrero, the company behind Nutella, is set to acquire the cereal manufacturer WK Kellogg for $3.1 billion.

Italian confectioner Ferrero, renowned for its Nutella and Kinder brands, is acquiring…

Russia unleashes lethal attack on Ukraine; US restarts arms shipments

Russian drones and missiles bore down on the Ukrainian capital early on…
Carolina Wilga, 26, has been backpacking through Australia for the past two years and works on mines to fund her stay at hostels.

Latest Updates on the Missing Backpacker’s Whereabouts in Western Australia’s Outback

Police discovered the unique Mitsubishi Delica van that the 26-year-old had been…
Carolina Wilga stopped at a petrol station in Toodyay about 4.30pm the day before she was last seen.

Lost Backpacker Carolina Wilga Rescued in Isolated Western Australia Outback

Missing German backpacker Carolina Wilga has been found alive in the remote…

The “Saltwater Cowboys” Bringing New Life to Australia’s Historic Sea Cucumber Industry

Three brittle brown cylinders rest in Michael Wear’s palm, each the length…

Ireland’s Ben Healy Clinches Solo Victory in Tour de France Stage Six

Ireland’s Ben Healy won stage six of the Tour de France in…

Family of Detained Palestinian Woman Raises Concerns After Her Australian Visa is Revoked

Relatives of a 62-year-old Palestinian woman who fled Gaza say they have…
Spear-fisher's close encounter with great white caught on GoPro

Diver’s Intense Moment with Great White Shark Captured on GoPro

With shark encounters on the rise near Sydney, a nearby spearfisher captured…
Sabrina wanted to make some extra cash but ended up broke.

Sabrina Tried a Popular Side Hustle for Extra Cash, But It Ended Badly

Exclusive: Sabrina wanted to make some extra cash. Chloe* followed other local…
Man charged over alleged $20 million cocaine plot

Man Accused in Alleged $20 Million Cocaine Scheme

A man is set to appear in court later this year, following…
The young faces of unthinkable tragedy

The Innocent Faces Behind Unimaginable Tragedy

Julian Ryan’s final words to his mother as floodwaters quickly engulfed their…