Moist.
That word has become so commonly despised that there are Facebook support groups, websites and even an episode of How I Met Your Mother focused on it.
Now ACTUAL scientists have got involved, conducting a study into the word to find out why such a harmless word can be so detested…
Paul Thibodeau and his colleagues at Oberlin College and Trinity University found that as much as 20% of the population may be averse to "moist".
However, the sound of the word isn't the spark of the hatred because similar-sounding words (such as "foist") did not generate the same negative reaction.
It turns out that it’s the meaning of the word that gets some people cringing - due to the obvious connections to body functions and sexual acts.
A person's age also has a lot to do with how they perceive the word, with younger people more likely to hate it.
So if you're in the 20% who can't stand the word moist here are a few options for you: damp, soggy, muggy, clammy, dank.
After reading those, we might just stick with moist!
If you would like to read more about the study the full 6-pages are available here.