The Top 20+ Questions on Politically Correct Terms [with Answers!]

Politically correct terms are a hot topic. The focus on using PC words has sky-rocketed recently with so much focus on diversity & inclusion in the news. We decided to create a list of the top 20 most-Googled questions on PC terms to help better understand each one.

Disclaimer: There are words or phrases in this article that are politically incorrect and might offend you. I am sharing the exact phrases/questions that people are querying on Google (source: ahrefs). I couldnt think of any other way to answer these questions without listing them exactly as the user typed them into Google. I am not an expert in politically correct terminology.

Ok, here are the top 20 questions users search about on Google (verbatim):

People of Color (POC for short) is widely used but not everyone approves of the term and there are often better alternatives.

A few alternatives are:

People of Color is a term used to identify people who are not white or of European heritage. The phrase People of Color was introduced in the 1960s by Black leaders in an effort to move away from terms like colored people and Blacks. POC is still widely being used worldwide today, but not everyone approves of the phrase.

The Washington Post interviewed 25 People of Colorand was met with comments like:

Not everyone likes this label, it flattens differences and it simplifies complexities.

What is another word for people of color? BIPOC, which stands for Black, Indigenous, People of Color is a more inclusive term that is being widely accepted as a replacement for POC. BIPOC is one of the hottest words in diversity, gaining traction since the Black Lives Matter Movement.

The popularity of the term POC (people of color) dropped 50% from January 2020 to June 2021 (while BIPOC grew 6X during the same period. (source: Google Trends

Are Asians People of Color? It may depend on who you ask. People of Color may be an accepted label for some, but it is always best to ask a person what they prefer to be called.

PC Term Google search volume: Is People of Color politically correct?(450/month);is people of color capitalized (350); people of color synonym (300); people of color definition (300); are asians people of color (700); another word for people of color (5)

What is a politically correct term for disabled? A PC term for disabled is people with disabilities. Disabled is considered a politically incorrect word because it is tied to negative stereotypes. The phrasepeople with disabilities is less de-humanizing.

When referring to a single person with a specific disability it is more appropriate to say the person has that disability instead of saying they are disabled. For example, anarticle on inclusive language at Colorado State University says:

Less Appropriate: Sue is an arthritic, diabetic, paraplegic.

More Appropriate: Sue has arthritis, diabetes, paralyzed, has paralysis in her legs

Another PC word for disabled is the disability community. This phrase refers to a group of people with disabilities and is also received more positively than the word disabled.

Irelands National Disability Authority says the following about addressing people with disabilities:

When writing or speaking about people with disabilities it is important to put the person first. Catch-all phrases such as the blind, the deaf or the disabled, do not reflect the individuality, equality or dignity of people with disabilities.

When speaking about the disabled community, you also hear the word handicapped. A politically correct term for handicapped is disabled person, or person with a disability.

What is the politically correct term for mentally disabled? Neurodivergent, a person who has an emotional disability, or neuroatypical are all PC terms.

PC Term Google search volume: Politically correct term for disabled? (500/month); handicapped or disabled what is politically correct (60); what is the politically correct term for disabled (30); what is the politically correct term for mentally disabled (20); another word for disabled (300); proper term for disabled (200); politically correct term for handicapped (100); another word for handicapped (100)

What is the politically correct term for mental retardation? A PC term for mental retardation is intellectual disability.

The term mental retardation was introduced to replace words like idiot and imbecile that were used in the past to identify people with certain levels of intelligence. But just like those derogatory words, the term retardation has become an insult, along with the word retard.

Mental Retardation as a phrase has even been legally replaced by the term intellectual disability according to an article addressingAppropriate Language About People With Disabilities.

PC Term Google search volume: Politically correct term for retardation (250/month);politically correct term for mental retardation (200); politically correct term for retard (80); what is the politically correct term for mental retardation (80)

There are 4 popular questions around PC terms for the word Black:

What is the politically correct term for Black?

Is Black or African American politically correct?

What is another word for Black?

What are other words for Black?

The terms Black and African American can be used interchangeably, according to Keith Mayes,associate professor of African American and African studies at the University of Minnesota.

Mayes said that descendants of slaves have historically been referred to as African Americans, but the percentage of those folks is decreasing in the United States.Mayes said:

We have more Black people here from other parts of the diaspora and other parts of the continent. We have a lot of East Africans here. West Africans here, always had a lot of Caribbean Blacks in the United States. When I address you as Black or African American, they both apply but it may be a situation where some black folks whose parents come from other parts of the world may not identify as African American. It is better to call them Black American

Finding a PC word for Black can be tricky because it depends on where a person comes from as well as what they prefer to be called. So in this case, it is best to ask someone which term they are comfortable with, whether it be Black, African American, Black American, Black Caribbean, Person of Color, etc.

PC Term Google search volume: Other words for Black (1,700); Another word for Black (1,400); Politically correct term for Black(200/month); What is the politically correct term for a Black person? (100); Black or African American politically correct (150); Another word for African American (80); What is the politically correct term for Black? (20);politically correct term for Black (30)

Is Mulatto offensive? In 2021, the popular rapper Mulatto (who has 1 Black father and white mother) was forced to change her name (to Latto) after a huge backlash over her name not being PC. If you search Google for Mulatto rapper backlash, you get 3.2 million results!

Mulatto was once a word used to identify people of mixed race or mixed ethnicity. In 1850 the U.S. Census Bureau used M as a racial category for mulatto, which meant someone with one Black and one white parent. The Mulatto category became a catch-all for people whose race was not just Black or white, this included Native Americans.

A more PC term for Mulatto (as well as mixed race and mixed ethnicity) is biracial or multiracial. Multiracial is used to describe people with blended ancestries.

Over time terms have changed, so another way to be more politically correct is to identify a person by a group, like Latinx or Mexican American.But, mixed race is still used and accepted by people who are comfortable with saying Im Mixed.

NPRs article onAll Mixed Up: What Do We Call People Of Multiple Backgrounds?says that celebrities may also set trends for multiracial people. For example:

Rihanna,Drake,Key and PeeleandShemar Moorehave all used the term biracial to self-identify. Barack Obama, ever tongue-in-cheek, likes to throw aroundmongrelandmutt.Slash,Nicole RichieandTrevor Noahhave used mixed.

PC Term Google search volume: Is mulatto derogatory (450/month); Is mulatto offensive (400/month); Mulatto politically correct (200/month);politically correct word for mulatto(5);Which is more politically correct Mulatto or Mixed Ethnicity? (5)

The terms Dwarf and Midget are widely misused and can be considered derogatory. What is the politically correct term for midget?

First, make sure youre being precise.

Little People of America (LPA) defines midget vs. dwarf in this way:

Dwarfism is a medical or genetic condition that usually results in an adult height of 410 or shorter, among both men and women, although in some cases a person with a dwarfing condition may be slightly taller than that.The average height of an adult with dwarfism is 40, but typical heights range from 28 to 48.

In some circles, a midget is the term used for a proportionate dwarf. However, the term has fallen into disfavor and is considered offensive by most people of short stature. The term dates back to 1865, the height of the freak show era, and was generally applied only to short-statured persons who were displayed for public amusement, which is why it is considered so unacceptable today.

Midget is on its way out

Midget has been met with criticism from organizations like the Little People of America (LPA).

LPA surveyed their community and 90% of members stated that the word midget should never be used in reference to a person with dwarfism.

Recommendations for using the term Midget and Dwarf

The LPA suggests you use:

But the LPA says that most people would rather be referred to by their name than by their label

PC Term Google search volume: How tall is a midget (1,400/mo.); What height is considered a midget (900); Dwarf vs Midget (1,000); Midget vs Dwarf (700); Difference between dwarf and midget; Is midget a slur (500/mo.) How tall is a dwarf (500/mo.) Politically correct term for midget (200/month); proper term for midget (200/month); what is the politically correct term for midget (150); pc term for midget (150) politically correct term for dwarf(100);pc term for dwarf(100); what is the politically correct term for a dwarf? (10)

What is the politically correct term for mental illness? There are many different alternative terms to use when it comes to mental illness. Health Partners has an excellent detailed list of some of these more PC terms for mental illness, and also lists terms to avoid. Some examples:

Dont use Mental Illness as an aggregate term (its too broad)

Instead, use Mental illnesses or A mental illness

Dont use Afflicted by mental illness, suffers from mental illness or is a victim of mental illness

Instead, useLiving with a mental illness

Dont use Mentally ill person

Instead use, Person with a mental illness

Another term related to mental illness is special needs. Special needs has been met with criticism from people with disabilities. What is the politically correct term for special needs? A person with a disability or disabled person is more politically correct. Special needs can make people feel excluded or belittled.

This article,12 different ways to say disabled, has multiple comments surrounding the use of special needs, from both teachers and people with disabilities.

PC Term Google search volume: Politically correct term for mental illness (150/month); what is the politically correct term for mental illness(5)

What is the politically correct term for gypsy? The word gypsy has ties to racial discrimination and the politically correct term is Roma which means people.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum says:

Roma (Gypsies) originated in the Punjab region of northern India as a nomadic people and entered Europe between the eighth and tenth centuries C.E. They were called Gypsies because Europeans mistakenly believed they came from Egypt.

A blog post from the Mindful Mermaid explains why we should stop saying gypsy. The blog says:

Gypsy is straight-up racist, similar to using the n-word. The word is as a racial slur against the Roma people, the PC term for gypsy.

PC Term Google search volume: Politically correct term for gypsy (150/month);what is the politically correct term for gypsy(10)

What is the politically correct term for gay? Gay is an acceptable term, along with gay person, gay people, and lesbian.

GLAAD says however the use of homosexuals should be avoided.

On a related note, a lot of people ask Whats the politically correct term for LGBT?LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) and its variations are PC terms when referring to gay people. Over time LGBT as an acronym has evolved into many more acronyms in the effort to be more inclusive to the gay community.

The New York Times discussedThe ABCs of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+back in 2018. The author talked about the addition of the letter Q for questioning or queer and said:

Now theres also I, for intersex; A, for ally (or asexual, depending on whom youre talking to); and often a plus sign meant to cover anyone else whos not included: L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+.

PC Term Google search volume:Politically correct term for gay (90/month); What is the politically correct term for gay? (20);Politically correct term for LGBT (40/month)

What is a politically correct term for race? Race is a PC word that is used to divide people into groups based on shared physical or social qualities. Race can be based on skin color, ethnic association, cultural history, or ethnic classification.

Here is a list of race-related terms that are used most frequently:

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people can choose more than one race to indicate their racial mixture (e.g. American Indian and white).

PC Term Google search volume: Politically correct term for mixed race (100);Politically correct term for race (90/month);what is the politically correct term for a mixed race person(5); Politically correct terms for race (90); list of politically correct terms for race(5)

What is the politically correct term for deaf? Deaf is considered a PC word, as well as hard of hearing or people with hearing loss according to the National Association of the Deaf. Other terms like hearing impaired are not widely accepted in the deaf community and could be considered derogatory.

The term hearing impaired was not coined by the deaf community, and a 2019 article on Medium.com titled The Deaf Culture Hates Being Politically Correct says:

The word impairedmeansweakened or damaged or having a disability of a specific kind.

The deaf community may not see their deafness as a disability, so it is best to avoid hearing impaired. Another word for impaired could be limited hearing or partially deaf.

PC Term Google search volume: Another word for impaired (150); Politically correct term for deaf (80/month);what is the politically correct term for deaf(5)

What is the politically correct term for minority? The term minority was popular in the 1990s and replaced the use of the offensive phrase colored people, but its popularity as a PC term has lost traction in recent years.

One reason that minority is politically incorrect is that the word minor in minority suggests someone of lesser significance.

More inclusive terms are now being used to replace the word minority like:

The other alternative is to refer to groups individually (e.g. Asian American, Mexican American, Inuit, etc.)

PC Term Google search volume: Politically correct term for minority (80/month); what is the politically correct term for minority (5); what is a minority? (1,900/mo.)

Googlers also search for politically correct terms for ethnic groups like the ones listed below.

What is another word for white? Caucasian is the most common, formal word to identify a white person, but federal data collection also simply uses the word white. Caucasian is defined as a person of European origin which derived from the word Caucasus, but according to workforce.com:

Most white people in the U.S. arent descended from the Caucasus region between Europe and Asia (touching Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) but from western and northern Europe.

This author says white people is acceptable and politically correct language.

PC Term Google search volume:Another word for white (1,000/mo); Other words for white (600/mo);white or caucasian politically correct(80); What do you call a white person? (70/month);politically correct term for white person(5)

What is the politically correct term for Eskimo? Inuit is the most widely used term to replace Eskimo, which is plural meaning people. The singular term, which means person is Inuk.

NPR gives reasons Why You Probably Shouldnt Say Eskimo in an article addressing the confusion behind the word. The article says:

People in many parts of the Arctic consider Eskimo a derogatory term because it was widely used by racist, non-native colonizers.

PC Term Google search volume: Politically correct term for Eskimo (50/month);what is the politically correct term for an Eskimo? (5)

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The Top 20+ Questions on Politically Correct Terms [with Answers!]