![]() “The aversion we experience to some words has visceral reactions to the sounds, for example, certain consonant clusters or some diphthongs,” Ureña says. “For example, in Spanish, ‘húmedo’ (moist) most cringe-inducing words we have,” Ureña says. And “the ick” factor isn’t unique to the English language. “We assign certain meanings or associations we deem as inappropriate, like bodily fluids, sexually charged words, or unpleasant memories, which is why hearing these words makes us uncomfortable,” Ureña says. “Linguists believe that there are three things that can influence people's aversion to words: connotation, sound, and social transmission.” “‘ Gross sounding’ words are a phenomenon known as ‘word aversion’ or logomisia, if you want to get technical,” Mariana Ureña, MA, who holds a master of arts in linguistics, tells Bustle. And that’s where the intersection of language and science comes into play, in the most interesting way. They make your skin crawl not only because of the gross visuals that come to mind, but also because of the way they sound. ![]() These are just a few examples of words people hate to hear. ![]()
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