Strangers tell us the most disgusting words in the English language
LONDON -- The English language is replete with wonderful words.
From "plethora" and "mellifluous" to "hummingbird," "daydream" and "melancholy" -- there's no end to the pleasure a simple word can stir.
But there's also a dark side to the English language. There are some words that -- once uttered -- create a skin-crawling feeling of pure disgust.
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To get a sense of the words that Brits love to hate, Mashable took to the streets during London Fashion Week to find out the most disgusting words in the English language. Let's just say the results were pretty interesting... (Hint: people really hate the word "moist.")
THRUPNEY
Charlotte Moran, copywriter.
CROCS
Alex Branckovich, stylist.
MOIST
Stephanie Yeboah, plus-size fashion blogger.
NASTY
Wiki Cardinali, student and modelling agency owner.
SQUELCH
Katie Stalker, fashion journalist.
SQUIDGE
Florence Van der Spek, fashion PR.
CRINGE
Nancy Miti, blogger and fashion designer.
MOIST
Annika Lievesley, press and communications manager for Steven James.
MOIST
CARD ID: 89184
Adam King, production assistant.
MUSHROOM
Philipine Ponsar, fashion student.
MOIST
Rebecca Lyons, English student.
UNCERTAINTY
Claudia Garcia, fashion blogger, and Charlotte Kennedy, personal assistant.
MOIST
Anna Wyncase, advertising professional.
PUDDING
Phil Oh, photographer.
MOIST
Aaron Denham, rapper.
MOIST
Charlie Banks, photography student.
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
