Hey, Babe: The Pet Names Women Find Most Annoying
In the UK, women prefer their nicknames with less sugar.
Honey, baby, sweet cheeks. If you're in a relationship, you likely don't call your partner by his or her first name. Chances are, you probably use a pet name when referring to your significant other.
But that loving nickname may not be as appreciated as you think.
A recent survey from Siteopia.com revealed babe as the most hated pet name among women. "Many people appear to find babe a bit too much, and it may be worth reconsidering the amount it's used and the kind of impact it’s having," a spokesperson for the site told The Heart Beat.
Siteopia surveyed 2,000 British people between the ages of 18 and 60. They found that only one in five surveyed called their partner by his or her full name.
Related video: 5 Ways to Strengthen Your Relationship
In addition to babe, sweet cheeks, snookums, and baby doll were also unpopular.
“Pet names between partners are usually used as a way to show a little regular affection but some are clearly better than others," said the spokesperson.
Overly sappy nicknames proved to be most disliked by the ladies. Muffin, pudding, angel pie and honeybun all made the list of top 20 most hated nicknames.
Apparently, women don't appreciate being likened to desserts.
As for nicknames gals prefer, flattery will get you everywhere. Gorgeous, beautiful, lovely and sexy all made the list of top 20 most acceptable nicknames. Siteopia's spokesman continued:
"There’s a lot of power in a name and each one throws up different connotations so it's important to know which ones will flatter a partner and which are definitely not going to have the right effect."
Personally, while angel pie may be a bit too sugary for my tastes, babe seems harmless. The spokesman explained that "babe" is one term of endearment that may not translate from the United States to the United Kingdom.
"When people hear 'Babe' in the U.K., it's very often associated with someone either trying a little bit too hard to be cool or coming across as cheesy."
Also interesting: One in seven surveyed admitted to giving their partner an unflattering pet name just to mess with them. One in six men referred to their partner as "the boss," and one in fourteen admitted to calling their significant other "the ball and chain."
Full lists of the most hated and most acceptable pet names for women are below.
What do you think — which of these pet names are sweet and which are downright sappy?
Top 20 Most Hated Pet Names For Women:
- Babe
- Sweet cheeks
- Snookums
- Baby doll
- Baby girl
- Muffin
- Ducky
- Baby cakes
- Sexy pants
- Pudding
- Angel pie
- Pumpkin
- Puppy
- Sugar lips
- Treacle (a type of syrup in the U.K.)
- Baby
- Pickle
- Honeybun
- Sugar pie
- Cupcake
Top 20 Acceptable Pet Names For Women:
- Gorgeous
- Beautiful
- Lovely
- Love
- Darling
- Honey
- Sexy
- Angel
- Dearest
- Precious
- Treasure
- Snowflake
- Blossom
- Sweetie Pie
- Sexy legs
- Lover
- Buttercup
- Flower
- Princess
- Sweetness
Photo: George Clerk/The Agency COllection/Getty Images
More love and sex on MSN Living:
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Was this study too expensive to recreate in America?
I've never heard of "Treacle" and the only time I've ever heard someone called "Ducky" was the friend in "Pretty in Pink", but he was a dude.
It can't cost that much to call 2000 American women and ask what they like and don't like their partner to call them. This whole article basically only applies to British people.
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