"Cringe" and "rofl" top the anti-rating of words that annoy Russians
Slang like "cringe" and "rofl" annoys 28% of Russians — the top anti-category of words according to a survey by Litres and Magram MR. Anglicisms infuriate 17%, bureaucratic language only 2%.
Slang and jargon have become the most annoying category of words for Russians: 28% of respondents in a survey by book service Litres and research agency Magram MR pointed to words such as "cringe," "rofl," "info," "lol," and "imba." AdIndex reviewed the study's findings.
Attitudes toward slang vary noticeably by age. Among respondents aged 18–24, such words annoy 22%. In the 25–34 and 45–54 age groups, the figure is higher — 30% each.
Anglicisms rank second in terms of irritation, named by 17% of respondents. Researchers assigned words like "case," "trigger," "hype," and "fake" to this category. Young people show rejection of this vocabulary no less often than older groups: anglicisms annoy 19% of Russians aged 18–24. The same figure was recorded among respondents aged 35–44 and over 55.
Diminutive and endearing words annoy 12% of survey participants. These are words like "yummy treat," "to eat," and "money."
Respondents complained less often about distortions of speech norms — phrases like "by 'completely'" and "good time of day." This category was chosen by 9% of respondents.
Bureaucratic language causes the least negativity. Words and constructions such as "according to," "to engage," and "to carry out" were noted by only 2% of study participants. Only 9% of Russians are completely indifferent to annoying words.
Respondents also named the words that annoy them the most on their own. The leader of the anti-rating is "cringe." Other frequent answers included "vibe," "ok," "in short," "crush," and "easy."
The study by Litres and Magram MR was conducted in September 2026 using an online survey method (CAWI). More than 1.1 thousand Russians over the age of 18 took part.
For marketers and brand communicators, the survey data is a direct signal about the risks of using slang in advertising and PR texts: nearly a third of the audience perceives such vocabulary negatively, and rejection grows with the consumer's age.
Source: AdIndex
More from Сергей Мельник
179 articles
Related articles
- Elvis Presley Song Rights Holders Demand $41.1 Million from Anthropic
- Pinduoduo and Anthropic paid Kazakhstan 8 billion tenge in taxes
- Disney Will Show Super Bowl 2027 Through the Eyes of Star Wars Characters
- Mom's Touch to Open 50 Restaurants in Kazakhstan with Shin-Line
- Prada answered AI slop with a pencil: 6 million views and mice in the style of Disney