F*#@ Yeah! America Swears More Than Any Other Country

The U.S. may not lead the world in healthcare or math scores, but it’s secured a different kind of dominance—one four-letter word at a time.

An expansive new study led by Australian researchers found the United States swears online more than any other English-speaking country.

The researchers analyzed over 1.7 billion words from nearly 340,000 websites, and the U.S. came out on top when it comes to online expletives.

On average, roughly 1 in every 3,000 words posted on American websites is a curse word.

That figure rises to 1 in 2,300 words on American blogs, which are more likely to feature informal language.

For comparison, the U.K. trails slightly behind with one curse word in every ~4,200 words, followed by Australia at one in ~4,500.

Their list included nearly 600 different swear words.

The research team cast a wide net in defining what counts as a swear word—an important detail that sheds light on the numbers. The 597 different words they included ranged from heavy hitters like the F-word (and its many creative uses and misspellings) to milder jabs like “jackass” and “butthead.”

Interestingly, the study’s authors didn’t try to hide their national disappointment. While American writing may dominate in online profanity, they hinted that Australia could still hold the edge when it comes to spoken language. “One possible explanation,” they wrote, “is that Australians are more conservative when they write online, but not so much when they are face-to-face.”

Sure, Australia. Tell yourself whatever you need to so you can sleep at night. But everyone knows when it comes to cussin’, America kicks ass. Still the leader of the free world in more ways than one.