Using more swear words is actually a sign of a larger vocabulary

Swearing has a bad reputation. Those who f-bomb regularly are much more likely to be accused of being a lowly citizen than asked to host a BBC Radio 4 panel show.

But researchers have found links between a person’s fluency in swearing, and their general fluency of the English language.

Who'd have f***ing thought it?

This disputes the assumption that people use swearwords for lack of a better word.

Researchers from Marist College and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts asked volunteers to think of as many words as they could that started with particular letters in one minute. – and then again, with swear words.

The found that those who thought of more words in the allotted time – ie, had better language skills – also scored better on the swearing fluency test.

The study - titled Taboo word fluency and knowledge of slurs and general pejoratives: deconstructing the poverty-of-vocabulary myth - suggests that swearing isn’t a sign of low intelligence, but actually a feature of being an articulate speaker.

So next time you stub your toe - don't hold back, you're just unleashing your inner Shakespeare.

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