Women hate being called ‘babe,’ study says

Call your girlfriend “gorgeous,” “sweetie pie” or even “sexy,” but never, ever “babe.”

It may be one of the most common terms of endearment men give their partners, but a British study commissioned by the Internet services company Siteopia.com reveals women hate it.

Also topping the “don’t call us that!” list are “sweet cheeks,” “snookums,” “baby doll,” “baby girl” and “muffin.”

Instead, women ranked traditional endearments like “beautiful,” “lovely,” “love,” “darling” and “honey” as their most preferred pet names.

“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,” the Daily Mail reports a Siteopia spokesman as saying.

Twenty percent of those surveyed said they gave their partners private pet names. But of that, 10 percent would be embarrassed if these names were ever made public.

As for men who were part of the study, they admitted calling their partners names they would never say to their partners’ face.

These included “The Mrs.” and “the wife.” One in six called their partners “the boss,” while one in 14 called them “the ball and chain.”

More hated pet names:
Baby
Pumpkin
Puppy
Honeybun
sugar pie
Pudding
Sexy pants

More okay pet names:
Angel
Dearest
Precious
Treasure
Buttercup
Princess
Sweetness