If you are hunting for high valyrian swear words to drop into fan fiction, a costume-party roast, or a heated debate about the Iron Throne, here is the playful-but-honest truth: High Valyrian has almost no profanity. It is a constructed language built for television, and David J. Peterson simply never wrote a Valyrian equivalent of the F-word. What the language does have is a small, verifiable set of insults and curses, and this page collects every real one we could verify in the documented vocabulary. No invented swears, no fake “translations,” just the genuine article.
Quick Answer
High Valyrian has only a handful of real insults: Ilībōños (bastard or whoreson, the strongest), Mittire (idiotic), Qrimbrōsta (cursed), Qrimbrōzvos (curse), Jaos (dog), Sikio (culprit), and Qrimpālekio (traitor). There is no attested Valyrian equivalent of English’s hardest profanity. The table below is every verified insult, ranked by severity.
How Many Real High Valyrian Swear Words Exist?
Seven, by our count, and that is being generous. Two of them (Jaos, “dog,” and Sikio, “culprit”) are only insults when you hurl them at someone; as plain nouns they are perfectly innocent. Compare that with a natural language, where profanity runs to hundreds of words, and you see why this page leads with honesty. The thinness of Valyrian profanity is a fact about a young, TV-built language, not a gap in our research. Because scripts rarely demanded profanity, and because Valyrian-speaking characters tend to be nobles and scholars rather than sailors, Peterson never had reason to write most of it.
That honesty is also what makes this list better than the competition. Other sites invent dramatic-sounding “Valyrian curses” out of thin air. Everything below is attested in the documented lexicon, with its literal meaning, pronunciation, and a severity rating from 1 (playful) to 5 (genuinely harsh).
7 Real High Valyrian Swear Words and Insults
| Word | Literal meaning | How fans use it | Severity (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilībōños | Whoreson, bastard; bitch, slut; generic insult or curse, any gender | The nuclear option: the Valyrian insult for a true villain (think Joffrey) | 5 |
| Qrimpālekio | Traitor, turncoat, double-crosser | For the friend who spoiled the episode, or any oath-breaker | 4 |
| Qrimbrōsta | Cursed (one) | A dramatic curse: “a pox on you” energy | 3 |
| Qrimbrōzvos | Curse | Shouted at bad luck: a stubbed toe, a lost bet, a crashed stream | 2 |
| Mittire | Idiotic, foolish, imbecilic | An affectionate-to-annoyed jab at a friend’s bad take | 2 |
| Jaos | Dog | Mild teasing: “you absolute dog” for minor mischief | 1 |
| Sikio | Culprit, perpetrator | Playful accusation: “so YOU are the sikio who ate the last slice” | 1 |
Ilībōños: the strongest Valyrian insult
Meaning: whoreson, bastard; bitch, slut; a generic insult or curse usable toward any gender. Pronunciation: “ee-lee-BOH-nyohs.” This is the closest thing High Valyrian has to a true profanity, and it is genuinely harsh: the dictionary glosses it as a generic curse. Save it for fictional villains and never for real people you like. Example (illustrative): Ilībōños!, glossed “Bastard!”, hurled at a betrayer in your fan fiction.
Qrimpālekio: traitor
Meaning: traitor, turncoat, double-crosser. Pronunciation: “kreem-PAH-leh-kee-oh.” In a fandom built on betrayals, this one gets plenty of use. It shares a root with the curse words below, which tells you how seriously Valyrian culture takes oath-breaking. Example (illustrative): Qrimpālekio!, “Traitor!”, for the friend who revealed the plot twist.
Qrimbrōsta: cursed
Meaning: cursed. Pronunciation: “kreem-BROH-stah.” A beautifully dramatic word: imagine a red priestess spitting it at an enemy. It works as a standalone curse or, in fan grammar, as an adjective. Example (illustrative): Qrimbrōsta!, “Cursed (be you)!”
Qrimbrōzvos: curse
Meaning: curse (noun). Pronunciation: “kreem-BROHZ-vohs.” The noun form of the curse family: useful when you want to talk about a curse rather than cast one. Fantasy writers, this is your word for the thing hanging over the cursed bloodline. Example (illustrative): Qrimbrōzvos!, “A curse (upon it)!”, for everyday bad luck.
Mittire: idiotic, foolish
Meaning: idiotic, foolish, imbecilic. Pronunciation: “MEET-tee-reh.” The workhorse insult: strong enough to sting, mild enough for friends. The double-T gives it a satisfying snap. Example (illustrative): Mittire!, “Idiot!”, when your friend suggests attacking a dragon with a butter knife.
Jaos: dog
Meaning: dog. Pronunciation: “jowss” (the initial sound is like the “j” in “jeep,” said further back). Calling someone a dog is an insult in plenty of real cultures, and it works in Valyrian too: the meaning is all in the tone. Keep it playful; this is a severity-1 word. Example (illustrative): Jaos!, “Dog!”, teasing, never cruel.
Sikio: culprit
Meaning: culprit, perpetrator. Pronunciation: “SEE-kee-oh.” The gentlest word on this list: more accusation than insult. Perfect for party games and mock trials among friends. Example (illustrative): Sikio!, “Culprit!”, pointing at whoever finished the snacks.
How to Pronounce Valyrian Insults
A high valyrian swear word only lands if you say it right. Quick rules, with the key points below.
- Long vowels are held longer. The macrons in Ilībōños and Qrimbrōsta roughly double the vowel. Stretch them for maximum drama.
- Stress the marked syllable. Ilībōños stresses BOH, qrimpālekio stresses PAH, mittire stresses MEET.
- Ñ is the Spanish ñ. The end of Ilībōños is “nyohs,” like the “ni” in “onion.”
- Q is a throaty k. Qrim- starts deep in the throat (“khreem”), which is part of why the curse family sounds so menacing.
- Double consonants are crisp. The TT in Mittire should snap; do not slide it into a single soft T.
Using Valyrian Insults Like a Fan
- Match severity to the moment. Jaos and Sikio are party-safe; Ilībōños is genuinely harsh even in fiction. Reserve it for villains.
- Writing fan fiction? A single well-placed Qrimpālekio (“traitor!”) in a betrayal scene does more work than a paragraph of invented profanity. Check unfamiliar words in a verified Valyrian to English translator before publishing.
- Keep it clean in cosplay. Conventions are family spaces. The severity-1 and 2 words (Jaos, Sikio, Mittire) get the laugh without the side-eye.
- Remember it is a TV language. The vocabulary is thin because scripts demanded little of it, not because researchers missed something.
Now that you have seen the real high valyrian swear words, want to turn the tables and say something nice instead? The English to Valyrian translator can help you check short phrases, and our beginner’s guide will take you from zero to your first real sentences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any real Valyrian F-words?
No. High Valyrian has no attested equivalent of English’s hardest profanity. The strongest verified insult is Ilībōños (bastard or whoreson; bitch or slut), which the dictionary itself glosses as a generic curse. Anything claiming to be a “Valyrian F-word” elsewhere online is invented.
Why does High Valyrian have so few swear words?
Because it is a constructed language built for television, not a natural language that grew over centuries of people stubbing their toes. David J. Peterson created vocabulary as scripts demanded it, and scripts rarely demanded profanity. Valyrian-speaking characters tend to be nobles and scholars, not sailors. The thinness is a feature of how the language was born.
What is the strongest High Valyrian insult?
Of all high valyrian swear words, Ilībōños is the strongest: severity 5 of 5. It is glossed as “whoreson, bastard; bitch, slut” and described as a generic insult or curse usable toward any gender. Use it for fictional villains, not real people.
Can I call my friend “Mittire” as a joke?
Among friends who share the joke, yes. It means “idiotic, foolish” and lands about like calling someone a goofball with sharper teeth. Just make sure the friendship can take it, and stick to the milder words (Jaos, Sikio, Mittire) in public.
Is Ilībōños gendered?
No. The dictionary explicitly notes it is a generic insult or curse “used towards any gender.” That is unusual among real-world profanity and makes it the all-purpose heavy insult of the language.
Where do these words come from?
All seven appear in the documented High Valyrian lexicon developed for the shows by David J. Peterson. If a “swear word” is not in a verified dictionary, it is not verifiable Valyrian.