# if you're replacing the "F-word" in an email/Facebook-update, is it spelled "friggin", or "freakin"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846 "2011-06-25T21:10:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/41 "2011-06-28T06:03:58Z")
f-ing in e-mails. But if I’m talking about sex I sometimes say boffing. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/42 "2011-06-28T06:47:02Z")
When I was growing up, frigging meant female masturbation. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/43 "2011-06-28T09:42:56Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > Interestingly, this issue came up in the UK regarding the Danish series “The Killing”. Apparently “fucking” has found its way into Danish from English, but with a milder non-literal meaning. The broadcasting standards people refused to censure the BBC for broadcasting episodes where it could clearly be heard in the Danish dialogue, precisely because of this difference. Swedes do it a lot as well. Annoys the tits off of me. People tell me that it is because Swedish swearing isn’t good enough and, frankly, it isn’t. You just can’t spit out “fan” with any sort of venom, no matter how you try. They also say “shit” here a lot, but don’t seem to use the Swedish translation, “skit”, in the same manner. This also came up with Wallander. My Dad pointed out how dirty the subtitles were and as far as I can tell it is because they translated every “jävla” as “fucking” whereas “jävla” can have that strength it doesn’t really get used in quite the same way. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/44 "2011-06-28T09:44:27Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > When I was growing up, frigging meant female masturbation. You know what? That rings a bell, that does. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/45 "2011-06-28T21:44:26Z")
“farking” for BSG nerd cred or maybe freeping ---
**Author:** ![minionkat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@minionkat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minionkat)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/46 "2011-06-28T21:46:49Z")
I chose “other” because if I am using it in an email, then I use it. I don’t use it on FaceBook or other social media at all. I use it way too much in real life. “Stop the casual swearing” has been a New Year’s resolution, a mid year resolution and something I try to work on for several years now. I hate the way it sounds, but it is so fun to say. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/47 "2011-06-28T21:51:18Z")
I’ve used all 3, just depending on whatever struck me at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/48 "2011-06-28T22:08:34Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > Another UK-ite here. I generally use random characters; eg. “f&^%ing”. I too have always liked the Asterix approach. @#$%@#^&! 🙂 > [@](#): > > I utterly loathe the science fiction “frakking” and similar rubbish… but “smegging” works! Excellent word “Smeg”… smeg, smegging, smeghead… popularised of course by the SF series _Red Dwarf_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/49 "2011-06-28T22:14:39Z")
I like “effing,” “farking,” “fecking,” and “fscking”. Oh, and one I got from a favorite SF novel: “shendi-fleckin’”. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/50 "2011-06-28T22:44:06Z")
augh fracking, not farking. HUGE nerd faux-pas ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Kalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@Kalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalypso)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/51 "2011-06-28T22:59:01Z")
I like forking. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/52 "2011-06-29T00:37:13Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > augh fracking, not farking. HUGE nerd faux-pas ☹ Eh, no. “Farking” has nerd cred too. Just different nerd cred. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rekkah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rekkah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rekkah)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/53 "2011-06-29T00:51:05Z")
Another UK vote for Effing. Having skimmed throught the thread I suppose I might also use flipping if I was feeling only mildly annoyed, and am geeky enough to quite like the Farscape Frelling, though I doubt I would actually use that in a status update. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/54 "2011-06-29T00:58:41Z")
> [@Kalypso](#): > > I like forking. I thought I was the only one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/55 "2011-06-29T02:50:05Z")
Any of the above, depending on mood. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846/56 "2011-06-29T03:06:54Z")
You forgot “fricken” Also, I don’t think an apostrophe is nerequired in writing this informal, so prefer friggin, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-replacing-the-f-word-in-an-email-facebook-update-is-it-spelled-friggin-or-freakin/586846.md?page=2)