Most Iconic
The fictional swear words that escaped the screen and entered real life.
Frak
≈ “Fuck”
/FRAK/noun/verb/adjective/interjection
The most iconic fictional swear word in sci-fi. A universal substitute for the F-word, used in every possible conjugation and context.
Fork
≈ “Fuck”
/FORK/noun/verb/adjective/interjection
In the Good Place, a cosmic censorship filter automatically replaces all profanity. Eleanor's attempts to curse come out as 'fork,' 'shirt,' 'bench,' and 'ash-hole.'
Smeg
≈ “Fuck / Shit (general purpose)”
/SMEG/noun/verb/adjective/interjection
The most versatile curse word in the Red Dwarf universe. Can be used as a noun (smeg), adjective (smegging), or combined with other words (smeghead).
Gorram
≈ “Goddamn”
/GOR-am/adjective/interjection
Firefly's frontier-flavored contraction of 'goddamn,' fitting the show's space-western aesthetic perfectly.
Belgium
≈ “Fuck (most offensive word in the galaxy)”
/BEL-jum/noun/interjection
In the Hitchhiker's universe, 'Belgium' is the most unspeakably offensive word in the galaxy. It was introduced when American publishers refused to print the original F-word.
Mildest of the Mild
When you need to swear but the situation requires plausible deniability.
Shiny
≈ “Cool / Great (positive exclamation)”
/SHY-nee/adjective/interjection
Firefly slang for 'cool' or 'great.' Not a curse per se but part of the show's distinctive vernacular that replaced standard exclamations.
Sleemo
≈ “Slimeball”
/SLEE-moh/noun (insult)
A Huttese insult translating roughly to 'slimeball.' Used by young Anakin on Tatooine.
Shazbot
≈ “Shit / Damn”
/SHAZ-bot/interjection
An Orkan curse word used by Mork, an alien from the planet Ork. Briefly became a real-world pop culture catchphrase in the late 1970s-80s.
Gimboid
≈ “Idiot / Moron”
/GIM-boyd/noun (insult)
An insult in the Red Dwarf universe meaning a stupid or worthless person.
Crem
≈ “Crap / Shit (mild)”
/KREM/noun
The most common mild swear word on Roshar. Crem is the stony mineral runoff carried by highstorms that hardens and coats everything.
Light!
≈ “God! / Oh God!”
/LYTE/interjection
An exclamation invoking the Light, the divine force of good in the Wheel of Time cosmology. Used as one would say 'God!' or 'Good Lord!'
Most Inventive
The entries that went above and beyond the call of profanity.
Belgium
≈ “Fuck (most offensive word in the galaxy)”
/BEL-jum/noun/interjection
In the Hitchhiker's universe, 'Belgium' is the most unspeakably offensive word in the galaxy. It was introduced when American publishers refused to print the original F-word.
Wubba lubba dub-dub
≈ “I am in great pain, please help me (hidden meaning)”
/WUB-ah LUB-ah DUB-dub/interjection
Rick's seemingly nonsensical catchphrase is actually Birdperson's language for 'I am in great pain, please help me.' What seems like a fun exclamation is actually a cry for help.
From Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Sci-fi and fantasy writers have always had the best swear words. Here's the proof.
Frak
≈ “Fuck”
/FRAK/noun/verb/adjective/interjection
The most iconic fictional swear word in sci-fi. A universal substitute for the F-word, used in every possible conjugation and context.
Toaster
≈ “N-word / Racial slur”
/TOH-ster/noun (slur)
A racial slur used by humans to dehumanize Cylons, reducing sentient beings to household appliances.
Felgercarb
≈ “Bullshit / Crap”
/FEL-ger-karb/noun
An expletive referring to putrid, crusty grime that accumulates on machinery. Used as an equivalent to bullshit or crap.
Fork
≈ “Fuck”
/FORK/noun/verb/adjective/interjection
In the Good Place, a cosmic censorship filter automatically replaces all profanity. Eleanor's attempts to curse come out as 'fork,' 'shirt,' 'bench,' and 'ash-hole.'
Shirt
≈ “Shit”
/SHURT/noun/interjection
The Good Place's automatic profanity filter replaces 'shit' with 'shirt.' Also appears as 'bullshirt.'
Bench
≈ “Bitch”
/BENCH/noun
The Good Place filter's replacement for 'bitch.' Used as both noun and adjective ('son of a bench').
Know a fictional swear we’re missing?
The archive grows one entry at a time. If you’ve spotted a fictional expletive that isn’t here yet, add it.
Add to the ArchiveBrowse by Medium
See all →Writers who needed authenticity without network clearance built their own vocabulary.
66 entries
Fictional profanity in film earns its place by making a world feel real.
28 entries
Without an actor's delivery, the invented word has to earn its power on the page alone.
38 entries
The vocabulary tends toward the punchy, typographically distinctive, and memorably brief.
11 entries
An invented curse in a game world is a flag that says this civilization has history.
22 entries
Safe for the room, loaded with meaning for anyone paying closer attention.
8 entries
Browse by Category
See all →Pure emotional discharge — lands before a reader even knows what it signifies.
85 entries
Reveals social hierarchies: who can be degraded, and in what terms.
62 entries
Shows what a society acknowledges but can't bring itself to say directly.
0 entries
Carries structure, weight, and usually a mythology. Tells you what a world fears.
0 entries
What characters swear by — a shortcut to a fiction's cosmology.
26 entries
Signals in-group membership. Ages fastest. Most likely to escape into real life.
0 entries
Browse by Severity
See all →The words you can say in front of your parents.
47 entries
Strong enough to carry weight, acceptable enough to air before the watershed.
69 entries
Words with genuine edge — they land hard on characters and audiences both.
0 entries
Reserved for the worst moments. Reveals what a society considers truly unspeakable.
57 entries