Language
Norwegian swear words
A guide to swearing in Norwegian: 22 words and phrases from the Swear Atlas catalogue, organised from mild to strong and explained in plain English. Every entry links to its full page with meaning, pronunciation and a 1–5 Burn Rating.
Common Norwegian swear words
The recognisable everyday expressions, with what each one actually means.
- dritt Literally “excrement”. It means shit or something bad and worthless. It's a straightforward way to express disdain or disappointment. 2/5 · Coarse
- pisse It means to urinate, used in a straightforward way. It literally translates to 'piss.' 2/5 · Coarse
- pokker It's a milder exclamation similar to 'damn.' 2/5 · Coarse
- drite This is a coarse verb meaning to shit or defecate. It's a straightforward bodily function term without any fancy implications. 3/5 · Vulgar
- drittsekk It's an insult for someone who's an arsehole or generally unpleasant. Literally, it translates to 'bag of excrement.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- faen Literally “devil”. It's an exclamation similar to damn or fuck, often used to express frustration or anger. 3/5 · Vulgar
- forbanna It means angry or cursed, often used to intensify a statement. 3/5 · Vulgar
- forjævlig It means awful or extremely unpleasant. It's a strong negative evaluation of something. 3/5 · Vulgar
Milder expressions
Gentler exclamations and everyday grumbles.
- bæsj This is a mild term for poop, often used in a lighthearted or childish context. It’s not meant to be taken seriously. 1/5 · Mild
- fanken This is a mild exclamation similar to 'darn' used to express annoyance or frustration. 1/5 · Mild
- prompe It means to fart, referring to the act of passing gas. It's a very informal term for a bodily function. 1/5 · Mild
- dritt Literally “excrement”. It means shit or something bad and worthless. It's a straightforward way to express disdain or disappointment. 2/5 · Coarse
- pisse It means to urinate, used in a straightforward way. It literally translates to 'piss.' 2/5 · Coarse
- pokker It's a milder exclamation similar to 'damn.' 2/5 · Coarse
Norwegian insults
Words aimed at a person rather than shouted at the world.
- drittsekk It's an insult for someone who's an arsehole or generally unpleasant. Literally, it translates to 'bag of excrement.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- jævel Literally “devil”. It’s an insult similar to calling someone a bastard, but can also be used in a more admiring way depending on the context. 3/5 · Vulgar
- rasshøl It's a vulgar personal insult, akin to calling someone an arsehole. The literal translation is 'arse hole', which adds a bit of bluntness to the insult. 3/5 · Vulgar
How to pronounce them
An English-friendly “sounds like” cue for each.
- bæsj Sounds like “BASH”. 1/5 · Mild
- fanken Sounds like “FAN-ken”. 1/5 · Mild
- prompe Sounds like “PROM-puh”. 1/5 · Mild
- dritt Sounds like “drit”. 2/5 · Coarse
- pisse Sounds like “PIS-uh”. 2/5 · Coarse
- pokker Sounds like “POK-er”. 2/5 · Coarse
- drite Sounds like “DREE-tuh”. 3/5 · Vulgar
- drittsekk Sounds like “DRIT-sek”. 3/5 · Vulgar
Curious literal translations
What these expressions say word-for-word, versus what they really mean.
- dritt Literally “excrement” — It means shit or something bad and worthless. It's a straightforward way to express disdain or disappointment. 2/5 · Coarse
- faen Literally “devil” — It's an exclamation similar to damn or fuck, often used to express frustration or anger. 3/5 · Vulgar
- jævel Literally “devil” — It’s an insult similar to calling someone a bastard, but can also be used in a more admiring way depending on the context. 3/5 · Vulgar
- jævelskap Literally “devilry” — It refers to mischief, nastiness, or a wretched situation. Think of it as a way to describe something particularly troublesome or annoying. 3/5 · Vulgar
- jævla Literally “devilish” — It's an intensifier similar to 'fucking', used to add emphasis to whatever it's describing. 3/5 · Vulgar
- jævlig Literally “devilish” — It means awful or extremely, often used to emphasize something negative. Interestingly, it can also intensify positive descriptions. 3/5 · Vulgar
How strong is Norwegian swearing?
Burn Rating spread across all 22 Norwegian entries (1 = mild, 5 = extreme).
- 1 · Mild 3
- 2 · Coarse 3
- 3 · Vulgar 14
- 4 · Strong 2
- 5 · Extreme 0
All Norwegian words A–Z
D
- drite This is a coarse verb meaning to shit or defecate. It's a straightforward bodily function term without any fancy implications. 3/5 · Vulgar
- dritt It means shit or something bad and worthless. It's a straightforward way to express disdain or disappointment. 2/5 · Coarse
- drittsekk It's an insult for someone who's an arsehole or generally unpleasant. Literally, it translates to 'bag of excrement.' 3/5 · Vulgar
F
- faen It's an exclamation similar to damn or fuck, often used to express frustration or anger. 3/5 · Vulgar
- faen i helvete This is a strong expression of anger or frustration, similar to saying 'fuck' in English. It literally translates to 'devil in hell,' which adds a bit of flair to the exclamation. 4/5 · Strong
- fanken This is a mild exclamation similar to 'darn' used to express annoyance or frustration. 1/5 · Mild
- forbanna It means angry or cursed, often used to intensify a statement. 3/5 · Vulgar
- forjævlig It means awful or extremely unpleasant. It's a strong negative evaluation of something. 3/5 · Vulgar
- fy faen This is a strong expression used to convey disgust, surprise, or even admiration, depending on the context. It's versatile in its emotional impact. 3/5 · Vulgar
J
- jævel It’s an insult similar to calling someone a bastard, but can also be used in a more admiring way depending on the context. 3/5 · Vulgar
- jævelskap It refers to mischief, nastiness, or a wretched situation. Think of it as a way to describe something particularly troublesome or annoying. 3/5 · Vulgar
- jævla It's an intensifier similar to 'fucking', used to add emphasis to whatever it's describing. 3/5 · Vulgar
- jævlig It means awful or extremely, often used to emphasize something negative. Interestingly, it can also intensify positive descriptions. 3/5 · Vulgar
K
P
- pikk It's a vulgar term for 'penis.' In everyday use, it refers to male genitalia but can also be used in a derogatory way. 3/5 · Vulgar
- pisse It means to urinate, used in a straightforward way. It literally translates to 'piss.' 2/5 · Coarse
- pokker It's a milder exclamation similar to 'damn.' 2/5 · Coarse
- prompe It means to fart, referring to the act of passing gas. It's a very informal term for a bodily function. 1/5 · Mild