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Comment by mseebach | Hacker News Reader

The HN title is misleading. These are words with a large-ish difference between how many men and women know them, but there is rightfully no "only" in the original title. "codec" is the only word know by less than 50% of women (48%). Similarly, there's only one word know by less than 50% of men, "taffeta". In both, the bottom of the 12 words has a difference of 25%-points.

The "men words" seem to be videogames and war stuff (except codec which, dare I suggest, is an online porn word). Women words are in the fields of decoration, fashion and flowers.

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Codec is a porn word???? it would have taken you longer to write that comment that look it up the right answer.

Codec are how your video and audio is encoded over the internet but I enjoy that you defaulted to a male word must be about porn. Flac/G711/g729/h323 are codec's (audio), infact here is a list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_codecs

I was going to explain to you why boys and girls focus on different words. Its to do with world perceptive that is shaped in early childhood but I really cannot be assed to start a chatter with someone that makes pointless observations, and then proceeds to make random comments based of their interruption of basic internet terminology without even looking something up.

I think mseebach means that men people are probably exposed to the word due to the need to watch porn videos and thus learn about codecs, not that it's a word exclusive to porn.

I don't think it's about porn, though, I find the torrented movies explanation more plausible.

That's an unfairly presumptuous and aggressive comment. Give the writer some credit maybe?

"Codec are how your video ... is encoded over the internet"

And video is a format commonly used for pornography, right? Is it so unlikely that someone might have encountered codec issues browsing adult videos online?

For what reason do you consider 'codec' an online porn word? I would think that most men would be acquainted with this word because of movie piracy.

Maybe mseebach is a woman?

> The HN title is misleading

Yes. We changed it. (Submitted title was: "Words known only by men or women")

Submitters: as the HN guidelines ask, please use the original title unless it is misleading or linkbait. Please don't rewrite a title to make it more misleading.

You're probably more likely to get familiar with the term "codec" trying to get torrented videos playing in various media players than anything to do with porn.

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