Years ago I worked in an in-house marketing department for a large corporation. My co-workers included three young women who were smart, creative, upwardly mobile...and very funny. One day, they got into a conversation about words, specifically words they thought sounded ugly when said out loud. So, they each made their own top-ten list of ugly words. It was a long time ago, and I can't remember all thirty words from their lists. But, several of the words were standouts, and they deserve recognition in a blog about ugly words. I've created my own list of ten ugly words which includes the girls' most memorable mentions.
1. trousers
2. ointment
3. blouse
4. glob
5. succotash
6. booger
7. punctual
8. bladder
9. plethora
10. gargantuan
Go ahead, try saying these words out loud. Don't you agree they sound ugly? They're not fun words to say. They don't roll off your tongue, but instead they feel sort of sticky on the roof of your mouth as you say them. They aren't words that are melodic or soothing, but rather they sound a bit curt or crass.
If you think about it, there are a lot of ugly words. I'm sure there are many, many words even uglier than those on my list. What are some of your favorite ugly words?
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