Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

swear word

/swɛɹ wɝd/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.44 in modern English

Syllables: swear -word
IPA: /swɛɹ wɝd/

16

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A word considered obscene and vulgar or offensive.

noun

A word that escapes someone's mind (and therefore often also their mouth) in a nearly automatic way when the person is under duress, mental stress or distress, etc; such words are often obscene and vulgar or offensive.

Example Sentences

"Near-synonyms: epithet, four-letter word; (uncountable) bad language, strong language, French"
"When I heard swear words from the next room, I decided to keep my distance."
"Your kid said nasty swear words to me this morning."
"Near-synonyms: dirty word, curse word, naughty word, curse, epithet, four-letter word; (uncountable) bad language, strong language, French"

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /swɛɹ wɝd/
British English: /swɛə(ɹ)wɜːd/

Inflected Forms

swear words (plural) swearword (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

bowdlerization expurgation billingsgate blasphemy vulgar vituperation swearing

Synonyms

dirty word curse word naughty word curse expletive swearing epithet four-letter word bad language strong language French bad word

Questions

How do you pronounce swear word?: The recorded pronunciation is /swɛɹ wɝd/.
What does swear word mean?: A word considered obscene and vulgar or offensive.

How to pronounce swear word

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “swear word”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/swɛɹ wɝd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “swear word”.
Repeat and practice — Say “swear word” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.