Which country's people swear the most online?

A large-scale study recently published in the linguistic science journal Lingua revealed that Americans use the most vulgar and swear words on the Internet out of 20 English-speaking countries.

Swearing is not just “getting angry”, but is language creation? - Photo: AI

The study, published in the journal Lingua , by Dr Michael Schweinberger and Associate Professor Kate Burridge from Monash University (Australia), analyzed more than 1.9 billion words in a giant data warehouse called GloWbE (Global Web-Based English Corpus).

The database, which draws on more than 340,000 websites across 20 English-speaking countries, allowed the team to tally the usage of 597 swear words, including common variations and misspellings.

The study found that Americans used the most profanity of the 20 English-speaking countries surveyed, ahead of the British and Australians. Australia was followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia and Ireland.

This is surprising because Australia is known for its strong “swearing culture” in everyday speech. According to Dr Schweinberger, this can be explained by the difference between how Australians communicate in person and how they express themselves online: “Australians can be very comfortable with vulgar language in real life, but are more restrained when it comes to writing online.”

According to the authors, online swearing is not simply an emotional outburst, but also a reflection of the creativity and evolution of language in the digital environment. “As Darwin said, humans have a thirst for novelty and expression. Profanity is a playground for that creativity,” Burridge wrote.

Researchers also point out that swearing is a “multidimensional, complex, and culturally nuanced” linguistic phenomenon, rather than just inappropriate or rude words.

The study is more than a word count exercise. It shows how native speakers and learners of English approach humor, intimacy, and rebellion in communication. Understanding when and when to use profanity is important for cultural adaptation, relationship building, and social integration.

“Knowing how to speak English grammatically is not enough. Speaking appropriately to the situation, culture and emotions is the key to understanding and being understood,” the authors emphasized.

MINH HAI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-nuoc-nao-noi-tuc-chui-the-tren-mang-nhieu-nhat-20250531152553306.htm