Language
Swedish swear words
A guide to swearing in Swedish: 26 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 Swedish swear words
The recognisable everyday expressions, with what each one actually means.
- helvete This is a strong exclamation that translates to 'hell' and is often used to emphasize a point or express frustration. In some contexts, it can also refer to actual religious discussions without being considered swearing. 3/5 · Vulgar
- fan Literally “devil”. It's a common exclamation similar to 'damn.' 2/5 · Coarse
- förbannad It means angry, and can also be used as an intensifier to emphasize frustration. The literal translation is 'cursed', but that’s less common in everyday use. 2/5 · Coarse
- kötthuvud It's an insult aimed at someone perceived as stupid. Literally, it translates to 'meat head.' 2/5 · Coarse
- mes It's an insult for someone who's timid or a wimp. Literally, it means 'titmouse,' which is just a type of bird. 2/5 · Coarse
- pippa It means to have sex in a casual or informal way. It's often considered a lighter term compared to the more explicit 'knulla.' 2/5 · Coarse
- piss Literally “piss”. This refers to urine and is often used as a negative intensifier. It's a bit more vulgar than just saying 'urine.' 2/5 · Coarse
- röv This is a coarse term for someone's backside or buttocks. It's used in a casual, often humorous context. 2/5 · Coarse
Milder expressions
Gentler exclamations and everyday grumbles.
- attans It's a mild exclamation used to express annoyance or frustration, often in a light-hearted way. 1/5 · Mild
- bajs This is a mild term for poop, often used in a dismissive way. It's more child-friendly than other Swedish swear words for feces. 1/5 · Mild
- fis This is a mild term for 'fart', referring to the bodily function in a light-hearted way. It's not offensive and is often used in casual contexts. 1/5 · Mild
- prutt It means 'fart' in a light-hearted, childish way. It's a mild term for passing gas. 1/5 · Mild
- tusan Literally “thousand”. It's a mild exclamation, similar to saying 'darn' when something goes wrong. 1/5 · Mild
- fan Literally “devil”. It's a common exclamation similar to 'damn.' 2/5 · Coarse
- förbannad It means angry, and can also be used as an intensifier to emphasize frustration. The literal translation is 'cursed', but that’s less common in everyday use. 2/5 · Coarse
- kötthuvud It's an insult aimed at someone perceived as stupid. Literally, it translates to 'meat head.' 2/5 · Coarse
Stronger stuff
The heavier end of the scale — handle with care.
- dra åt helvete It's a strong way to tell someone to fuck off, essentially saying 'go to hell.' 4/5 · Strong
- för helvete Literally “for hell”. It's an emphatic expression similar to 'for fuck's sake.' It conveys frustration or urgency in a situation. 4/5 · Strong
- knulla It means to have sex, specifically in a very crude way. It's a straightforward term for fucking. 4/5 · Strong
- kuk This refers to the penis and is a strong anatomical term. It's not used in a neutral or medical context. 4/5 · Strong
Swedish insults
Words aimed at a person rather than shouted at the world.
- dra åt helvete It's a strong way to tell someone to fuck off, essentially saying 'go to hell.' 4/5 · Strong
- arsle This is a coarse term for someone's buttocks, often used as an insult. It can imply that someone is being foolish or annoying. 3/5 · Vulgar
- rövhål This is a vulgar insult that means 'asshole.' It literally translates to 'anus.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- skit ner dig It means 'get lost' in a hostile way, telling someone to go away. The literal translation is 'shit yourself,' which adds a bit of edge but isn't used literally. 3/5 · Vulgar
- kötthuvud It's an insult aimed at someone perceived as stupid. Literally, it translates to 'meat head.' 2/5 · Coarse
- mes It's an insult for someone who's timid or a wimp. Literally, it means 'titmouse,' which is just a type of bird. 2/5 · Coarse
Expressions & phrases
Multi-word expressions and set phrases.
- skit ner dig It means 'get lost' in a hostile way, telling someone to go away. The literal translation is 'shit yourself,' which adds a bit of edge but isn't used literally. 3/5 · Vulgar
- dra åt helvete It's a strong way to tell someone to fuck off, essentially saying 'go to hell.' 4/5 · Strong
- för helvete Literally “for hell”. It's an emphatic expression similar to 'for fuck's sake.' It conveys frustration or urgency in a situation. 4/5 · Strong
How to pronounce them
An English-friendly “sounds like” cue for each.
- attans Sounds like “AT-ans”. 1/5 · Mild
- bajs Sounds like “bys”. 1/5 · Mild
- fis Sounds like “fees”. 1/5 · Mild
- prutt Sounds like “PROOT”. 1/5 · Mild
- tusan Sounds like “TOO-san”. 1/5 · Mild
- fan Sounds like “fahn”. 2/5 · Coarse
- förbannad Sounds like “fur BAN-ad”. 2/5 · Coarse
- kötthuvud Sounds like “SHUT hoo-vood”. 2/5 · Coarse
Curious literal translations
What these expressions say word-for-word, versus what they really mean.
- tusan Literally “thousand” — It's a mild exclamation, similar to saying 'darn' when something goes wrong. 1/5 · Mild
- fan Literally “devil” — It's a common exclamation similar to 'damn.' 2/5 · Coarse
- piss Literally “piss” — This refers to urine and is often used as a negative intensifier. It's a bit more vulgar than just saying 'urine.' 2/5 · Coarse
- skita Literally “defecate” — It means to shit, used as a coarse verb. It can also appear in dismissive phrases. 2/5 · Coarse
- skitsnack Literally “shit talk” — It refers to bullshit or nonsense, often used to dismiss something as untrue or ridiculous. 2/5 · Coarse
- för helvete Literally “for hell” — It's an emphatic expression similar to 'for fuck's sake.' It conveys frustration or urgency in a situation. 4/5 · Strong
How strong is Swedish swearing?
Burn Rating spread across all 26 Swedish entries (1 = mild, 5 = extreme).
- 1 · Mild 5
- 2 · Coarse 10
- 3 · Vulgar 7
- 4 · Strong 4
- 5 · Extreme 0
All Swedish words A–Z
A
D
F
- fan It's a common exclamation similar to 'damn.' 2/5 · Coarse
- fis This is a mild term for 'fart', referring to the bodily function in a light-hearted way. It's not offensive and is often used in casual contexts. 1/5 · Mild
- för helvete It's an emphatic expression similar to 'for fuck's sake.' It conveys frustration or urgency in a situation. 4/5 · Strong
- förbannad It means angry, and can also be used as an intensifier to emphasize frustration. The literal translation is 'cursed', but that’s less common in everyday use. 2/5 · Coarse
J
- jävla It's an intensifier similar to 'damn' or 'fucking'. It literally translates to 'devilish', which adds a bit of flair to the insult. 3/5 · Vulgar
- jävlar This is an exclamation used to express surprise, anger, or emphasis, similar to saying 'damn' in English. Literally, it translates to 'devils.' 3/5 · Vulgar
K
- knulla It means to have sex, specifically in a very crude way. It's a straightforward term for fucking. 4/5 · Strong
- kötthuvud It's an insult aimed at someone perceived as stupid. Literally, it translates to 'meat head.' 2/5 · Coarse
- kuk This refers to the penis and is a strong anatomical term. It's not used in a neutral or medical context. 4/5 · Strong
M
P
- pippa It means to have sex in a casual or informal way. It's often considered a lighter term compared to the more explicit 'knulla.' 2/5 · Coarse
- piss This refers to urine and is often used as a negative intensifier. It's a bit more vulgar than just saying 'urine.' 2/5 · Coarse
- prutt It means 'fart' in a light-hearted, childish way. It's a mild term for passing gas. 1/5 · Mild
R
S
- satan This is used as an exclamation, often to express frustration or anger. It literally means 'Satan.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- skit ner dig It means 'get lost' in a hostile way, telling someone to go away. The literal translation is 'shit yourself,' which adds a bit of edge but isn't used literally. 3/5 · Vulgar
- skita It means to shit, used as a coarse verb. It can also appear in dismissive phrases. 2/5 · Coarse
- skitdålig It means very bad or lousy. The literal translation is 'shit bad', which emphasizes the negativity. 2/5 · Coarse
- skitsnack It refers to bullshit or nonsense, often used to dismiss something as untrue or ridiculous. 2/5 · Coarse