What's in a swear? The world's filthiest words typically refer to something vulgar or taboo, for one. But there's something else swears across the world's languages have in common. They're all missing ...

A new study shows that swear words across languages may have more in common than previously thought. Many of them tend to leave out the same sounds. There's a common trope in sci fi when characters ...

Dagnabit, I just love cursing. It relieves stress and feels good. Polite society has considered the use of vulgar language to be associated with low intellect, but studies are showing the opposite.

It is true, as Mark Twain said, that “under certain circumstances, profanity provides relief denied even to prayer.” We all have our favorite cuss words on hand for stubbed toes, moments of ...

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with linguist John McWhorter about his new book, Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever, which looks at how profanities have evolved over centuries. It ...

Americans use the swear word “fuck” more frequently on social media than Australians or Britons, but Australians are more creative in its use. The f-word is rarely used in social networks of fewer ...