French
10 French swear words you'll actually hear
A traveller's shortlist of French expletives, insults and exclamations — what they mean, and how strong they are.
Every language swears differently. This guide collects 10 French expressions you're genuinely likely to hear — from mild exclamations to properly strong stuff — and explains what each one actually means, not just its dictionary translation.
Burn Ratings are an approximate, cross-language heuristic. Context, region, tone and who's speaking all change how a word lands. Treat these as a guide, not gospel.
- 1merde 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “excrement”. Shit; frustration, surprise or a description of poor quality. Also used to wish performers luck; not every occurrence is an insult.
Full entry → - 2andouille 1/5 · Mild
Literally “sausage”. Comic insult for a fool. The food sense is neutral.
Full entry → - 3bon sang 1/5 · Mild
Literally “good blood”. Mild exclamation of surprise or irritation. Euphemistic and less strong than explicit obscenity.
Full entry → - 4
- 5flûte 1/5 · Mild
Literally “flute”. Very mild exclamation of annoyance. A euphemism; the instrument sense is neutral.
Full entry → - 6la vache 1/5 · Mild
Literally “the cow”. Exclamation of surprise roughly like wow or bloody hell. Not ordinarily an insult in this standalone expression.
Full entry → - 7beauf 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “brother-in-law, shortened”. Insult for someone considered crude or narrow-minded. Social stereotype; not every brother-in-law reference is insulting.
Full entry → - 8bouffon 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “jester”. Insult for a ridiculous or foolish person. Can be playful but is often contemptuous.
Full entry → - 9bourré 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “stuffed”. Drunk, often very drunk. Informal state description; ordinary stuffed/full senses exist.
Full entry → - 10brêle 2/5 · Coarse
Insult for someone incompetent. Often used about poor ability at a task.
Full entry →