15 Worst Words in the English Language

It was an anniversary dinner for my parents. I must have been 10-years-old at the time. My mom was toasting my dad and said, "David, you are my best friend, my confidant, my lover …" And that's where she lost me. I know they had to "do it" to make me but the last thing I needed at that impressionable age was to picture them as loverrrs. Even writing it down makes my skin crawl.

So at our last staff meeting I asked everyone to throw out words that make them cringe. Let me just say … it was one of the funniest meetings I have ever been in. Below is our list, along with the reasons I was given. Do you feel our pain?

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  1. Panties: Sounds both sexual AND little-girlish, which is just creepy.
  2. Lover: See above… ick
  3. Rouge: When I was a kid my mom called blush — you know, the makeup — rouge. So I went to school and called it that and a whole bunch of seventh grade girls laughed at me. That's enough to make any teen hate a word.
  4. Dungarees: It’s such an old fashioned sounding word for jeans. Reminds me of mom jeans.
  5. Moist: Ruined by the porn industry. Everyone loves moist cake, but no one can say that with a straight face. It you don't dislike the word yet — say it a dozen times while changing your voice inflection. Pretty soon you will hate it. And if you still need proof, read this hilarious post on "Why Moist Is The Worst Word Ever!"
  6. Belly: Makes me think of Santa Claus or pork bellies … it just sounds so flabby and gross to me for some reason! Like jelly. I mean, I like jelly. But I don't want a word that sounds a lot like it when all you're trying to say is "stomach." Tummy is a little better.
  7. Breasts: The way the two "S's" sound together — it just makes my skin crawl.
  8. Ridonkulous: Sounds. Ridiculous. And it reminds me of that really annoying girl … you know the one. Plus, it's not even a real word. Who says it? It's not funny. It sounds like something Snooki would say. Who wants to talk like Snooki?
  9. Mommy Blogger: It's not the term "blogger," it's the "mommy" in front of it that pretty much all mom bloggers hate. It just sounds so condescending. We are moms that blog. That's it. Plus, we really don't want you calling us mommy. That endearing term is reserved for our little ones.
  10. Hubby: Responses ranged from totally goofy to a little condescending to totally emasculating.
  11. Vajajay: Maybe "hate" is too strong for this one. It's just so last year.
  12. Pimple/Zit: Teenagers fighting raging hormones and terrible skin. Lived through it. Hated these words back in the day and continue to hate them now. In England they call them "spots" — that is a much better word.
  13. Supper: It just sounds like something they eat on Little House on the Prairie.
  14. Shunt: Oh I got a shiver just writing this word down. Perhaps it's the similar sound that it has to Kristen Stewart's favorite c-word, but I think it's more the fact that it sounds like a really awful, and painful, action verb.
  15. Sanctimommies: HATE, HATE, HATE, HATE IT.

What words are on your list? Any of these?

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