Researchers say this city swears the most

Story at a glance


  • A recent survey from the online language learning app Preply measured the swearing habits of more than 1,500 adults in the nation’s 30 largest cities.


  • People curse most frequently in Columbus, Ohio.


  • Columbus is followed by Las Vegas, where the average resident curses 30 times every day.


The average American swears about 21 times each day, a new survey found. But the rate varies widely among cities, and people curse most frequently in Columbus, Ohio.

A recent survey from the online language learning app Preply measured the swearing habits of more than 1,500 adults in the nation’s 30 largest cities to gauge who swears the most, in what situation people are most likely to swear and in which cities people are most likely to use profanity.

In Columbus, the average person swears 36 times per day, and they are most likely to swear while at work, the survey found.

Columbus is followed by Las Vegas, where the average resident curses 30 times every day. Jacksonville, Fla., rounds out the top three.

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Overall, people who swear the most in these major cities use this type of language at home, and about a quarter of the time when they’re out with friends. Only 7 percent swear the most when driving.

Yet half of those surveyed said they swear at themselves a little more than half the time.

Broken down by generation, members of Gen Z swear most often — around 24 times per day — while Baby Boomers break down and utter profanity ten times daily.

Residents in Phoenix swear the least, according to the survey, at 14 times per day.

The survey measured the responses of 1,549 American residents from the 30 largest cities in the country July 11-12, 2022. Participants were required to live in their city for at least one year.

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