What did I just hear? Foreign swears English speakers commonly mishear
The sound reaches your ears before the spelling does. Here's how some famous foreign swears land on an English ear.
You almost never hear a foreign swear word spelled out — you hear a sound, and your brain reaches for the nearest English letters. That's exactly the problem Swear Atlas is built to solve.
Here are some expressions alongside how they tend to land on an English ear. Type any of these “heard-it-as” spellings into the search box and the atlas should find the real word.
- 1μαλάκας 3/5 · Vulgar
malákas
Often heard as “ma la kas”. Insult for a jerk or fool; familiar address among some friends.
Full entry → - 2cabrón 4/5 · Strong
Often heard as “cabron”. Strong insult roughly like bastard; sometimes admiring or friendly.
Full entry → - 3merde 3/5 · Vulgar
Often heard as “maird”. Shit; frustration, surprise or a description of poor quality.
Full entry → - 4
- 5개뿔 2/5 · Coarse
gaeppul
Often heard as “geh ppul”. Contemptuous word for something worthless; also dismisses a claim as nonsense.
Full entry → - 6duperele 2/5 · Coarse
Often heard as “doo peh reh leh”. Trivial things or unimportant rubbish.
Full entry → - 7merda 3/5 · Vulgar
Often heard as “mairda”. Shit; exclamation or something of poor quality.
Full entry → - 8أحا 3/5 · Vulgar
aha
Often heard as “ah ha”. Vulgar Egyptian exclamation of shock, disbelief or protest.
Full entry → - 9
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