"Ugly" or "Gross-Sounding" Words

[Wolf Sage]

What do you find are the "ugliest" or "grossest-sounding" words in the English language (or whatever your preferred language is)? Words that are just downright annoying and/or displeasing to hear/say.

Some of mine are:

1. Luggage;
2. Moist;
   
3. Grits;
4. Meal*;
5. Slum;
6. Ointment;
7. Pus;
8. Funky;
9. Smelt;
10. Keen.

* I used to see this one all the time whenever I had to punch out for my lunch break back when I worked at Kmart. Damn near wanted to put in my two-week notice because of it. lol

 

[Dan]

Raer selda

 

[Curmudgeon]

sassafras

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

1: zelda
2: dungeon
3: forums

 

[Batman]

Since getting interested in linguistics and becoming Linguistically Enlightened™, my attitude about making aesthetic judgments on how certain languages or words sound has changed considerably.

That said, "snogging", a British English term referring to making out/amorous kissing might be the word I dislike the most when it comes to sound. Sounds like something from Tolkien's Black Speech.

 

[Wolf Sage]

Angina.

 

[Dio]

Everything sounds displeasing in the Scouse accent I must say, but in terms of words that are horrible in general there are:

Keen
Reem
Memes
Tripe
Kek
Ulcer
Minge
Curdle
Sick

 

[Jamie]

Since getting interested in linguistics and becoming Linguistically Enlightened™, my attitude about making aesthetic judgments on how certain languages or words sound has changed considerably.

That said, "snogging", a British English term referring to making out/amorous kissing might be the word I dislike the most when it comes to sound. Sounds like something from Tolkien's Black Speech.

I'm not sure what you mean. What is wrong with thinking a word sounds gross? There's nothing you can do to control how your brain reacts to a sound. I mean, you're literally defending a word here. An inanimate concept (not even an object). I'm sure the word "moist" is going to be okay if I say it sounds gross(it does). What if a word I made was communicated by scratching a nail on a chalkboard? Is everyone supposed to be respect that and not judge the sound? What is your "attitude" on making linguistic judgments? I fail to see anything wrong with it. Literally who cares?

 

[Link Floyd]

Pimple
Lungs
Bowels
Crippled

 

[Luke's Wife]

memes

 

[Batman]

I'm not sure what you mean. What is wrong with thinking a word sounds gross? There's nothing you can do to control how your brain reacts to a sound. I mean, you're literally defending a word here. An inanimate concept (not even an object). I'm sure the word "moist" is going to be okay if I say it sounds gross(it does). What if a word I made was communicated by scratching a nail on a chalkboard? Is everyone supposed to be respect that and not judge the sound? What is your "attitude" on making linguistic judgments? I fail to see anything wrong with it. Literally who cares?

I didn't say or imply it's not okay to find a word ugly - on the contrary, I think it's perfectly natural and okay. I mean that my understanding of linguistics has changed how I think about the phonetic properties of words, changing how I aesthetically evaluate words. It so happens that words I previously would have considered ugly are nowadays just as phonetically interesting to me as words I find pretty or indifferent, and that affects my emotional responses to them. Hence my attitude about how words sound has changed for me personally and I find far fewer things "ugly".

Then I went on to mention a word I still find ugly lol. So your entire concern about what I said is irrelevant as these are positions I don' t hold, but sorry if I confused you.

 

[Jamie]

Then I went on to mention a word I still find ugly lol. So your entire concern about what I said is irrelevant as these are positions I don' t hold, but sorry if I confused you.

I assumed you were sort of saying "well, if I had to pick one, I'd pick x word, but I think it's wrong to do so", or something. I understand what you mean now though.

 

[Dio]

memes

Actually that is an ugly ugly word. I'm adding it to my list.

 

[Batman]

I assumed you were sort of saying "well, if I had to pick one, I'd pick x word, but I think it's wrong to do so", or something. I understand what you mean now though.

Right. I definitely don't think there's anything "wrong" with finding a word ugly, whatsoever. Feeling otherwise would be quite silly. It'd be like someone saying that there's something "wrong" with finding the note C# being played on a saxophone ugly. I'm just saying that if you learn to play saxophone and learn about saxophone music and saxophone culture, your attitude might change on how you aesthetically evaluate C# on the saxophone.

 

[Vanessa28]

In my country it is the word Vak (subject) because it is EXACTLY the same pronounced as your famous F word.
And in my language the word STRONT is so gross. It means poop. But it is the less polite way to say it. But damn, the way it is pronounced....