Census of British regional swear words – how many do you recognise?

From ‘taking the p***’ to ‘bl**dy’, Brits are known for their colourful array of swear words. 

And if we look at a regional level, the number of insults multiplies – with each region boasting its own unique set of slurs.

Now, scientists from the University of Sheffield have set out to create the UK’s first–ever national swear word census. 

The public is being invited to submit their favourite regional slurs, which will then be collated in an archive. 

‘We want to hear from everyone. Whether you’re in Glasgow, Sheffield, Cardiff, or a small village in Cornwall – your voice matters,’ said Dr Chris Montgomery, who is leading the project.

‘This is a chance to contribute to a living record of language and culture.’

So far, hundreds of options have been submitted, including ‘pillock’, ‘mayglem’, and ‘minger’.

So, do you know what they mean, or where they’re from? 

The researchers set out to create the census after noticing that swear words were missing from today’s linguistic censuses. 

However, they emphasise that the project is not about promoting offensive language. 

Instead, it’s about capturing the role regional swear words play in people’s everyday expression and communication. 

Dr Montgomery explained: ‘Swearing is a fundamental part of how everybody expresses emotion, identity, humour, and social connection, yet it is often excluded from formal records of language. 

‘We also know very little about how swearing varies in local areas. 

‘This project recognises that to truly understand English as it is lived and spoken, we must include all of it – not just the polite or standardised forms.

‘Some traditional regional dialects might be disappearing, and this project is about celebrating the regional language that people actually use and preserving a record of it, so future generations can get a real insight into people’s lives in 2026 and how people communicated in towns and cities across the country.’

As swell as swear words, the public is invited to submit their favourite regional expressions and insults. 

The submissions so far indicate that some regional words are already dying out. 

‘Examples of regional words that appear to be dying out include crozzils (half–burnt coals), pyinate (magpie), and tew (to labour in vain), which are largely unknown among younger speakers,’ Dr Montgomery explained to the Daily Mail. 

‘Others like clarty (dirty/sticky), mizzle (light rain), and lig (to lie down) are still around but seem to be fading and used less consistently by younger people. 

‘At the same time, some words remain very robust across generations. For example, nesh (sensitive to cold) and fettle (condition, to put right). 

‘This shows that dialect isn’t disappearing entirely, but changing over time.’  

In collaboration with the satirical arts practice Modern Toss, the data will also be used in a series of exhibitions across the country.

‘We’re delighted to be working with the University of Sheffield,’ said Jon Link, from Modern Toss.

‘At Modern Toss we’ve spent years turning filthy data into charts and interactive art. 

‘And this collaboration finally lets us map the UK’s isolated linguistic pockets with proper academic rigour, yeah? 

‘The end goal is to join up these hidden worlds into a definitive, push–button, wall–mounted map of the national swear mind.’

If you want to submit your own favourite swear word, you can get involved with the project here.