Moist.
If you’re a woman, that more than likely made you cringe. It’s one of those words that causes a large portion of the female population to freak out on you when it’s used. Why? There is no scientific reason (that I’ve been able to find); just a word, five letters long, that causes distress and disgust.
I thought it was weird, until I asked myself if there were any words I hated or that made me feel like I needed a shower after hearing them. And although it doesn’t bother me at all now, it was only a few years ago, when one word would cause me to want to punch you if you said it:
Belly.
I hated that word. You could say ‘stomach’ or ‘gut’ or any other word, but ‘belly’ made me feel like I was covered in worms. I felt dirty and nauseated when I’d hear it. Again, a five letter word with two syllables would invoke such feelings of dismay within me.
Why do you believe that certain words have that effect? What word or words do you find abhorrent or dreadful? Drop me a comment below (and if the word is stronger than PG, please use asterisks to edit to be non-offensive.