What is the rudest word?

Rudest Word

To people who live in the United States, the word that often comes to mind first is the four-letter word that begins with "f." But who is to say what the rudest word is? It may be different for each person. If, to you, the rudest word is "mudblood" or "Voldemort" or "cow," there is nothing wrong with that. In a sense, the particular four-letter word is only the rudest word in the English language because people have made it so. It is not a rude word because of the fact that it often refers to sex. Very often, the word is only used for the sake of being rude, like a form of rebellion.

In other parts of the world, it doesn't appear to be a rude word at all...

In Austria, there's a town called "****ing
http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/austria.asp
http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/01/16/

In Japan, there's a town called "Fukyu":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukyu

So, in North America it's a very taboo word; in Austria and Japan, it's a town down the street. :)

Although some words are more undesirable than others, the word itself isn't always what is rude. Sometimes words that are customarily the most polite can be turned into something offensive. Even words such as 'thank you' or 'excuse me' can be turned into something rude depending on their timing and delivery. It is best just to keep consideration for others in mind and then rude words aren't likely to become an issue.

First answer by DJ Craig. Last edit by Myrab51. Contributor trust: 326 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 1 [recommend question]