What are some non-swear English words that are one (or less) letters away from being a curse word in other languages?
Also, slightly off-topic, but is there any difference a “curse word” and a “swear word”? We tend to use them interchangeably, but I was wondering if technically they do not mean the exact same thing.
Dam!
The adjective fit, when imported into Norwegian and pluralized becomes the Norwegian c-word. Surprisingly this doesn’t prevent some people from using it.
Fan is one letter away from the common Norwegian swear “Faen” (lit. the devil).
verde (green in Spanish) is one little letter away from merde (shit in French).
Oops - missed the part about “english” words.
When I was about 12 or 13 we went on a family holiday to Brittany in France. My little brother had a pair of Converse trainers on which had the legend ‘CONS’ on. I remember at least once walking past a group of natives who found them very funny.
(Cons = c—ts in french.)
Mist. You don’t even have to change a letter.
Thai doesn’t use the Roman alphabet, so may not be eligible for OP’s question, but
The sound “Rat” means rhinoceros in Thai and is used as a cuss word.
“Cheap pie” sounds almost just like another Thai cuss word.
If it’s in the OP, it is the topic 
“Swear” and “curse” mean the same thing applied to words, which is that the speaker is wishing a bad thing to happen to the recipient, usually by appealing to divine or other supernatural forces. These terms are more generally applied to any vulgar or inappropriate language. Someone yelling, “Oh shit!” isn’t addressing anyone in particular, but we call it swearing due to the offensiveness.
Mmm…I think that technically “swear” refers to taking God’s name in vain or other profanity (in the traditional sense of the word), while “curse” is the one wishing ill on someone or something else.
So if I drop an anvil on my toe, I might say “OHMYFUCKINGJESUSFUCKINGCHRIST” (swear) DAMMITDAMMITDAMMIT (curse) THAT FUCKING HURTS!!! (ejaculation).
And in Swedish the word is “Fan” so you don’t have to change a thing. “Fitta” gets two Ts though.
I was amused when a Facebook friend joined this group:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fitta-Bodies-Personal-Training/127765220572320
Edited to add:
“Pitt” means “dick”, so one letter from “Pit” and also makes Brad Pitt’s name very funny.
Oh yes, we French also have endless fun with American “neocons”. Or, to us, “new idiots”.
“con” originally designated the female genitalia as you say*, and some people still use it in that sense ; but for the most part its meaning has shifted to variations on the “idiot” and/or “unpleasant person” theme.
In Norwegian as well, but when a group of people are fit, Norwegian spelling and grammar rules turns the loan word fit into fitte.
Oh, speaking of which, “bite” is also slang for dick in French. Spelled, but not pronounced the same.
The word “bit” *is *pronounced the same however, leading to much giggling in middle school computer class when the teacher starts talking about mega bits.
Well not exactly pronounced the same, but I could see where a French speaker would think so. The short “i” sound doesn’t really have an analogue.
“Fick” is German for “fuck”. So we have dick, pick, sick etc.
And he is aware of it, I’m told.
But “bit” is also a French word, and it is indeed pronounced exactly like “bite”.
Also from French:
“Cull” is one letter away from “cul” (ass).
“Put in” (does this count?) is one letter away from “putain” (bitch, damn)
I’m Dutch and my bank is called the Rabobank. When I was in Spain a few years ago most shops had to snigger when I showed them my bank card, as ‘rabo’ is apparently slang for ‘cock’ in Spanish (lit. ‘tail’). I guess spending money from a dick bank is kinda funny.
And that’s why the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow wasn’t called “Silver Mist”: