Warning: uncensored cuss words ahead
Among cussers, “fuck” is typically the favorite of all cuss words, which we totally understand, given the versatility of the word. Therefore, it is no surprise that it is the most popular cuss words on Twitter by a landslide.
Researchers at Wright State University in Ohio say that out of 51 million tweets studied, 34.7 percent of all cuss words used were some form of the word “fuck.” Nice.
Comparatively, “shit” accounted for 15.0 percent of all tweets with cuss words, and “ass” was the third popular, accounting for 14.5 percent. Others included “bitch,” accounting for 10.3 percent of all cuss words, “hell” (which we would argue is not a cuss word, but whatever) made up 4.5 percent, “whore” 1.8 percent (surprising, given the popularity of Mean Girls’ “boo, you whore” quote), “dick” 1.7 percent, “piss” 1.5 percent, and “pussy” (that was tough to type out, you guys) accounted for 1.2 percent.
The top seven cuss words mentioned above make up 90.6 percent of all swearing that takes place on Twitter.
More neat stats about cussing
The study notes that in daily life, roughly 0.5 percent to 0.7 percent of words used are cuss words, but on Twitter, it is double that, with one in 13 tweets containing a cuss word of sorts.
Researchers also indicate that as the day progresses, cussing becomes more common, with a lovely peak hit around midnight (you know what they say – nothing good happens after midnight (hey, who says that? We disagree!)). Ironically, Friday through Sunday are the days when Twitter users cuss the least.
Men are more likely to swear, and women are more likely to swear when talking to other women, while both genders use their own gender’s insults (so women say “whore” more, which is typically (and wrongly, of course) associated as an insult against women).
The report finds that “cursing is associated with negative emotions” but we would argue that these findings actually point to social media as a more casual environment than the workplace, and would note that much cussing is done playfully or has nothing to do with anything negative.
That said, Twitter is full of fucking cuss words. That’s the real finding here.
