Read on to discover where the politest searchers are in the U.S. and how Americans in different states express love and respect for people and things. You might learn a new way to appreciate someone!
Key Takeaways
Montana has the most polite searchers in the U.S., while California has the least.
The top slang compliment is “pur,” followed by the positive term, “stoked.”
The most popular terms of endearment are “beautiful” and “darling.”
Sweet Slang
American slang is diverse and in-depth when it comes to terms conveying compliments. Spoken with care and love, these are the most-searched colloquialisms of kindness across the nation.
California, Nevada, Utah, and Michigan shared a close connection in their most searched positive slang term, “bussin’.” Meaning “good,” especially in reference to food, “bussin’” appeared more frequently than any other slang term search in those four states.
Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia all brought the energy, searching most for “stoked” (meaning enthusiastic, in this case). Similarly, Kansas and Missouri made the most searches for the word “amped,” which describes feeling fired up.
Colorado, Virginia, Minnesota, and New York all favored “gucci.” This versatile slang term is based on the luxury fashion brand, which explains why it’s used to describe something fancy or stylish. “Gucci” could also mean something is simply good. Aptly, Alaska was more likely to search for “chill,” reflecting the typically cool weather conditions of this far north state.
Your Love Language
Beyond polite language, we also looked into the names Americans use to express affection. Below are the most searched terms of endearment by state.
Almost the entire West Coast was in agreement: “Darling” dominated these searches in Washington and California, as well as Nevada, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Michigan. Oregon was the only West Coast state that differed; their top searched pet name was “sweetheart.”
Meanwhile, Florida, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania preferred a steamier term of endearment: “hottie.” A more delicate option, “princess,” was the top term in Kansas, while its neighbor to the north, Nebraska, was joined by Arizona, New Mexico, and Maine in their affinity for “sweetie.”
America’s central triad of Wyoming, South Dakota, and Iowa all shared “sugar” as the most searched pet name. But further south in Alabama, “dollface” seemed to be the most favored term. Of all the affectionate terms in this list, that one may require the most charisma to pull off without sounding rude.
Politely Searching
Breaking down where the most polite searchers are showed a stark difference between states. See below for the number of searches, including polite terms per 100,000 residents, and find out how courteous your state is.
Montana was, far and away, the politest state. More than 270,000 of their searches per 100,000 residents in the past year included polite terms, especially “please.” Meanwhile, the state scoring lowest for politeness was California. The Golden State only made 10 searches including polite terms per 100,000 residents, mostly “thanks so much” — the top phrase searched by its neighbors to the east as well (Nevada and Utah).
Saying the Right Thing
If the search terms people use are any indication of how they communicate online, you may be more likely to have a polite virtual conversation with someone in Montana versus California. But pet names and sweet slang have their own cultural differences, state by state. Knowing this may serve as a way to spread happiness with a well-placed compliment.
Next time you’re feeling “amped” in Kansas or trying to flirt with an “angel” in Montana, catering your language to your locale might achieve the best effect. Use our handy list to find the right words for who you’re talking to, wherever they are.
Methodology
For this study, we collected Google Trends search data from 2022 across the United States.
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