German Swear Words: 30 Real Insults and Curses
🇩🇪 German · 30 cards · B1 · by Annika Vogel
This is the vocabulary you hear on the U-Bahn platform at eleven at night, not the kind that makes it into a course book. The 30 cards run roughly from harmless mutterings like Mist to words that end a conversation, and every note carries a strength rating from 1 (fine in front of your grandmother) to 5 (don't).
Two things trip learners up. Strength doesn't map onto English one-to-one: Scheiße is milder than "shit", while Fotze is far uglier than most people expect. And many insults are gendered or regional. Insulting someone is also a criminal offence here (§185 StGB), so treat the top of the list as passive vocabulary. Read the notes before you repeat anything.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 30 cards
| # | German | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mist Strength 1. Der Mist, literally 'dung, manure'. Completely harmless: fine at work and in front of children. | damn, crap | So ein Mist, ich hab den Bus verpasst. Damn it, I missed the bus. | |
| 2 | Quatsch Strength 1. Der Quatsch. Not rude, just dismissive. Also Quatsch machen = to mess about. | nonsense, rubbish | Quatsch, das stimmt doch gar nicht! Rubbish, that's not true at all! | |
| 3 | verdammt Strength 2. Also an intensifier: verdammt gut = damn good. Often combined: Verdammter Mist! | damn, damn it | Verdammt, ich hab meinen Schlüssel vergessen. Damn, I forgot my key. | |
| 4 | bescheuert Strength 2. Adjective, used for ideas, rules and people alike: Bist du bescheuert? Mild but clearly insulting. | stupid, idiotic | Der Plan ist doch total bescheuert. That plan is completely idiotic. | |
| 5 | Kacke Strength 2. Die Kacke — the nursery-word version of Scheiße; sounds childish from an adult. Also Ach Kacke! | crap, poop | Die ganze Situation ist echt Kacke. This whole situation is really crap. | |
| 6 | Scheiße Strength 3. Die Scheiße, the all-purpose German swear word and noticeably milder than English 'shit'. Also as a prefix: Scheißwetter. | shit | Scheiße, der Zug ist schon weg. Shit, the train's already gone. | |
| 7 | beschissen Strength 3. Adjective from scheißen. Used for situations, weather and how you feel, rarely for people. | shitty, lousy | Mir geht's heute echt beschissen. I feel really lousy today. | |
| 8 | scheißegal Strength 3. Usually with a dative person: Das ist mir scheißegal. Polite versions: völlig egal, piepegal. | couldn't care less | Das ist mir scheißegal, mach was du willst. I couldn't care less, do what you want. | |
| 9 | Blödmann Strength 2. Der Blödmann, male only; about a woman people say blöde Kuh (just as sexist). | idiot, jerk | Lass mich in Ruhe, du Blödmann! Leave me alone, you idiot! | |
| 10 | Idiot Strength 2. Der Idiot, feminine die Idiotin. Stressed on the last syllable: I-di-OT. Standard traffic vocabulary. | idiot | Fahr doch richtig, du Idiot! Drive properly, you idiot! | |
| 11 | Depp Strength 2. Der Depp. Southern German and Austrian; in Bavaria it can even sound affectionate. | fool, dolt | So ein Depp, der parkt mitten im Weg. What a fool, he's parking right in the way. | |
| 12 | Trottel Strength 2. Der Trottel. Very often aimed at yourself, as in the example. | moron, dimwit | Ich Trottel hab die Tür offen gelassen. Idiot that I am, I left the door open. | |
| 13 | Vollpfosten Strength 3. Der Vollpfosten, literally 'whole fence post'. Popular since the 2000s; sounds young and a bit comic. | complete idiot | Welcher Vollpfosten hat hier den Müll hingestellt? Which complete idiot put the rubbish here? | |
| 14 | Zicke Strength 2. Die Zicke, literally 'nanny goat'. Only used about women, so it lands as sexist. Verb: rumzicken. | bitchy woman, drama queen | Sei doch nicht so eine Zicke. Don't be such a drama queen. | |
| 15 | Klugscheißer Strength 3. Der Klugscheißer, literally 'clever shitter'. Mild enough for jokes among colleagues; feminine: Klugscheißerin. | smartass, know-it-all | Jetzt sei nicht so ein Klugscheißer. Don't be such a smartass. | |
| 16 | Arsch Strength 3. Der Arsch. Also in am Arsch sein (to be knackered/screwed) and am Arsch der Welt (in the middle of nowhere). | arse, ass | Beweg deinen Arsch, wir kommen zu spät! Move your arse, we're going to be late! | |
| 17 | Arschloch Strength 4. Das Arschloch — neuter. The standard strong insult; shouting it at a police officer regularly costs people a fine. | arsehole, asshole | Was für ein Arschloch, der hat sich vorgedrängelt. What an arsehole, he pushed in front. | |
| 18 | Arschgeige Strength 3. Die Arschgeige, literally 'arse fiddle'. Old-fashioned and funny rather than truly aggressive. | tool, prat | Diese Arschgeige hat mir den Parkplatz weggeschnappt. That prat nicked my parking space. | |
| 19 | Miststück Strength 3. Das Miststück, grammatically neuter but almost always aimed at a woman. | bitch, piece of work | Dieses Miststück hat mich angelogen. That bitch lied to me. | |
| 20 | Penner Strength 3. Der Penner, from pennen (to kip). Also a slur for homeless people, so it insults a whole group as well. | bum, loser | Der Penner ist einfach nicht aufgetaucht. The loser just didn't show up. | |
| 21 | Drecksau Strength 4. Die Drecksau, used about men and women. Works for literal filthiness and for moral disgust. | filthy pig, dirty bastard | Räum deinen Müll weg, du Drecksau! Clean up your rubbish, you filthy pig! | |
| 22 | Halt's Maul Strength 3. Short for halt das Maul; Maul is an animal's mouth, hence the insult. Neutral version: halt den Mund. | shut your trap | Halt's Maul und hör mir endlich zu! Shut your trap and listen to me! | |
| 23 | Halt die Fresse Strength 4. Clearly stronger than Halt's Maul. Die Fresse alone means 'gob'; auf die Fresse = a punch in the face. | shut the hell up | Halt die Fresse, ich telefoniere gerade! Shut the hell up, I'm on the phone! | |
| 24 | Verpiss dich Strength 4. Reflexive verb sich verpissen; to several people: Verpisst euch! | piss off, get lost | Verpiss dich, ich will dich hier nicht sehen. Piss off, I don't want you here. | |
| 25 | Leck mich am Arsch Strength 3. Often shortened to Leck mich! In Bavaria it can also express amazement, like 'well I never'. | kiss my arse, get stuffed | Leck mich am Arsch, das mache ich nicht. Get stuffed, I'm not doing that. | |
| 26 | Schlampe Strength 4. Die Schlampe, misogynistic. Originally a messy, slovenly person, which survives in schlampig (sloppy). | slut; slob | Nenn mich nie wieder Schlampe! Don't ever call me a slut again! | |
| 27 | Wichser Strength 5. Der Wichser, from wichsen (to jerk off). Aggressive and male-only; expect a reaction. | wanker | Der Wichser hat mein Fahrrad geklaut. That wanker stole my bike. | |
| 28 | Fick dich Strength 5. A loan translation from English; older speakers prefer Leck mich am Arsch. Jokier variant: Fick dich ins Knie. | fuck you | Fick dich, ich hab genug von dir. Fuck you, I've had enough of you. | |
| 29 | Hurensohn Strength 5. Der Hurensohn, literally 'whore's son'. Everywhere in youth slang, but genuinely fight-starting. | son of a bitch | Er hat den Schiedsrichter Hurensohn genannt. He called the referee a son of a bitch. | |
| 30 | Fotze Strength 5. Die Fotze, the most degrading word in the deck and deeply misogynistic. In Bavaria and Austria it can also mean a slap in the face. Know it, don't use it. | cunt | Er hat sie als Fotze beschimpft – unfassbar. He called her a cunt – unbelievable. |
Hamburg native. I spent years explaining German word order to exchange students and still enjoy it. My decks favour the words you hear on the U-Bahn over the ones in textbooks.
Questions about this deck
- What is the most common German swear word?
- Scheiße, by a wide margin. It works as a standalone exclamation (Scheiße!), as a prefix (Scheißwetter, Scheißtag) and in fixed phrases like Das ist mir scheißegal. It is noticeably milder than English 'shit' and you hear it from speakers of all ages — though still not in a formal meeting.
- How do you say 'fuck you' in German?
- Fick dich is the direct equivalent and a fairly recent loan from English. The traditionally German options are Leck mich am Arsch (kiss my arse), Verpiss dich (piss off) and a plain Arschloch. Older speakers tend to reach for the Arsch phrases; Fick dich and the jokier Fick dich ins Knie are common among younger people.
- Which German insults are genuinely dangerous to use?
- Fotze, Hurensohn and Wichser are the strongest words here. Fotze is an extremely degrading slur against women, Hurensohn insults someone's mother and often starts fights. Remember too that insulting a person is a criminal offence in Germany under §185 StGB (Beleidigung) — calling a police officer Arschloch regularly costs several hundred euros.
- Are German swear words about sex or about faeces?
- Mostly faeces. The core of German cursing is the Scheiße/Arsch/Kacke family, plus animal words like Sau, Kuh and Zicke. Sexual swearing (ficken, Wichser, Fotze) exists but feels harsher and more imported, which is why Fick dich hits far harder than Scheiße even though English speakers expect them to be parallel.
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