A List of German Curse Words and Offensive Phrases German original Defamatory meanings of some of these words may be difficult to find in a dictionary. Not every single word on this list is a bad word but each of them can be used as a curse word or an insult. Many non-native German speakers will never feel comfortable using German insults in real situations.īelow you can find an alphabetical list of the most frequently used German swear words, insults and offensive phrases with their translations into English. The reasons why German learners wish to learn German swear words and insults vary but most people only want to know them to be able to better understand the German street jargon and bad language in German movies, reality shows, songs or social media.

Likewise, many Germans tend to use the English swearwords “fuck” and “shit” instead of their German counterparts which can often be used in similar context. A good example is “Shitstorm” which happens to be a lot more popular in German than it is in English. Therefore, if you wish to swear in German, make sure you thoroughly understand the actual meaning of German cuss words you intend to use.įurthermore, German has adopted a number of English bad words.

Certain German swear words may be used in similar situations but with different frequency, or may be harsher or milder in their meaning than their English equivalents, so be careful when using them. Literal translations of German curse words into English may not always be accurate. Some German words used as swearwords are harmless when part of regular vocabulary but can also be used offensively while others only occur in foul language. To decode the German street jargon it helps to be familiar with the most common German curse words as they represent a major part of the slang vocabulary. Please, see the index of most common words at the bottom of this page to access other parts of the frequency list.One of the biggest challenges faced by distance learners of German is the comprehension of German slang and foul language. By now, you should have learned the first 150 most frequent German words. This page continues the list of most common German words along with their English translation.

Common german words in english