90 biggest ‘icks’ revealed by people who have dumped their partner

Everyone has an 'ick' when it comes to dating. Maybe you're put off by bad breath, one too many humble brags, or too much ex talk — and now a new survey has revealed exactly what the biggest icks when dating are for Brits.

The survey of 2,000 British adults, from Gen Z to Boomers, found that poor personal hygiene is the number one 'ick' for people who are on the dating scene.

This was followed by being rude to a waiter or bartender, having bad breath, talking about their ex, and speaking with their mouth full.

The survey, from Vape Superstore, also disocovered that it's not just people who are dating that can get the 'ick', but also 43% of people in relationships say their partner can give them the 'ick', along with 56% of married couples.

50 biggest 'icks' for Brits

1. They have poor personal hygiene

2. They're rude to a waiter or bartender

3. They have bad breath

4. They talk about their ex

5. They speak with their mouth full

6. They brag about themselves

7. They chew gum loudly

8. They always have to 'top' any story you tell

9. They're a know-it-all

10. They talk about themselves too much

11. They talk in a baby voice

12. They refer to themselves as an influencer

13. They wear too much fake tan

14. They check their phone on a date

15. They overshare on social media

16. They get drunk on a date

17. They post too many mirror selfies

18. They smoke

19. They turn up late to a date

20. They wear clothes the wrong size (e.g. too short trousers, too tight shirt etc.)

21. They unnecessarily shorten words (e.g. menty-b, cozzie-livs etc.)

22. They get food on their face while eating

23. They don't offer to pay on a date

24. They wear too much make-up

25. They have holes or rips in their clothing or shoes

26. They have a bad tattoo

27. They're over-competitive

28. They believe in conspiracy theories

29. They bite their fingernails

30. They start calling you by a pet name

31. They clap when the plane lands

32. They wear cheap or tacky jewellery

33. They don't tip their waiter

34. They have a messy car

35. They have opposing political views to yours

36. They have bad spelling or grammar

37. They post inspirational quotes on social media

38. They refer to themselves as a foodie

39. They double text you

40. They confidently sing the wrong lyrics or get a famous quote wrong

41. They have to repeat themselves when Siri/Alexa/Google doesn't understand them

42. They live with their parents

43. They believe in star signs

44. They can't cook

45. They don't have a driver's licence

46. They sing to you or play a song to you on a musical instrument

47. They have a velcro wallet or purse

48. They don't know how to ride a bike

49. They can't reverse park or parallel park

50. They don't know how to swim

It comes after dirty or long fingernails, using a “baby voice” and terrible tattoos were just some of the so-called 'icks' cited by people who have dumped their partners in a 2023 study.

A poll of 2,000 adults found that half of respondents (49%) had broken up with their partner because of an ick.

Around 12% of respondents said they have broken up with someone because they were obsessed with star signs, while 11% said they got the ick when their partner clapped when a plane landed.

One in 10 men claimed they would call it quits with someone who wanted to share food on a first date, while 14% of women polled by American dating site Seeking said a major turn off would be their partner referring to a football team they support as “we”.

“People are very set on what they want, which is empowering,” Seeking’s dating expert Emma Hathorn said.

“Online dating has opened up a whole new world of singles, which means people can afford to have higher standards. And if an absolute deal-breaker for you is someone who never wears sunglasses indoors or chews with their mouth open, that’s absolutely fair enough.”

The biggest ick noted by respondents was someone who smelled bad, or pretending to be more knowledgeable about something than they really were.

Two thirds of respondents said they were “picky” when it comes to dating, while 22% admitted they were “very picky”.

40 biggest 'icks' from people who have dumped their partners

1. Smelling bad

2. Pretending to be more knowledgeable about something than they actually are

3. Being overbearing and rude

4. Double texting (sending a secondary text if you’ve not responded after the first one)

5. Having bad teeth

6. Being rude to a waiter

7. Living in a mess

8. Having dirty fingernails

9. Chewing with their mouth open

10. Being too clingy

11. Talking too loud

12. Eating and talking at the same time

13. Being obsessed with their star signs

14. Having long fingernails

15. Putting on a baby voice

16. Wearing too much make-up

17. Breathing heavily

18. Oversharing on social media

19. Referring to themselves in third person

20. Having a bad tattoo

21. Wearing a weird coloured lipstick

22. Having shoes that are too dirty

23. Having an Instagram account for their pet

24. Referring to their football team as 'we'

25. Clapping when an airplane lands

26. Wearing bad jeans

27. Wearing sunglasses indoors

28. Taking longer than you to get ready

29. Having too many shirt buttons undone

30. Wearing shoes you don’t like

31. Living at home with parents

32. Not wearing socks with shoes

33. Wanting to share food on the first date

34. Wearing a tacky watch

35. Using emojis in texts

36. Wearing socks to bed

37. Not paying on the first date

38. Wearing creased clothes

39. Saying pet names like ‘honey’ or ‘baby’

40. Pronouncing David Bowie’s name wrong

Two out of five of the respondents believe their dating standards have gotten higher as they have gotten older, with 60% admitting they would judge a first date location if it didn’t match their standards.

A quarter of respondents (28%) said that salary is the most important thing when it comes to looking for a potential partner, while 19% value a good fashion sense over everything else.

“The current trend in dating at the moment is ‘dating up’ - finding someone who can better and elevate their own lifestyle,” Hathorn added.

“So, the goal for all singletons is to not only be someone who can help someone else ‘date up’ - but find someone who can elevate themselves at the same time. As with all things in life, it’s about finding that exact balance that works for you, and this can be tricky if you are totally inflexible in who you date.

“Keeping an open mind is key, and you may find someone who elevates your life in every way possible - even if they wear terrible shoes.”

Additional reporting by SWNS.

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