The Wednesday afternoon class and I recently found this wonderful page, prompted by
the question, How do you spell Uh-huh?
Dictionary of Interjections
https://www.vidarholen.net/contents/interjections/
Here is a list of English interjections, specifically those that are not included in normal dictionaries because they just signify noises people make (ahh, ow, grr) rather than exclamation words (hey, stop, yes).
Like the sounds themselves, most of the
interjection can be made stronger by stretching them out, such as
"aaaaaah!!!" or "awwwwwww!!". This list mostly describes
the shortest canonical representations. Note that some are listed several times
with different meanings, and as alternate spellings under other entries.
Word |
Alternate/
Similar |
Translation |
Example |
Meaning |
aah! |
aaah, aaaahh |
"Help!" |
"Aaaah! It's eating
my leg!" |
Fright, shock. Sometimes
it means "ahh" instead. |
aha |
a-ha |
"I understand" |
"Aha! So you took
the money!" |
Understanding, triumph
(can also be used as "ahh") |
ahem |
"Attention,
please!" |
"Ahem! Swearing is
against office policy." |
The sound of clearing
one's throat. Used to get someone's attention, especially if they don't know
(or apparently forgot) that you're there. |
|
ahh |
ahhh, ohh |
"Ok, I see" |
"Ahh, yes, I
understand now" |
Realisation, understanding.
Sometimes it means "aaah" or "eh" instead. |
ahh |
ahhh.. |
"So relaxing" |
"Ahh... This hot
tub is amazing" |
Relief or relaxation |
argh |
augh |
"Damn!" |
"Argh, the car
won't work!" |
Annoyance, anger,
frustration |
aww |
aw, awww |
"How sweet!" |
"Aww, what an
adorable puppy" |
Shows sentimental
approval (also see next entry) |
aww |
aw, ohh, ahh |
"That's too
bad" |
"Aww, it hit him
right in the nuts!" |
Feeling sorry or pity
for someone |
aw |
oh |
"Come on!" |
"Aw, don't be like
that!" |
Mild disappointment or
protest |
bah |
"Whatever" |
"Bah, I never liked
him anyways." |
Dismissive, annoyed |
|
boo |
booh |
"That's bad" |
"Boo, get off the
stage!" |
Disapproval, contempt |
boo! |
booh! |
"Scared you!" |
I jumped out from the
closet and yelled "boo!" |
A noise used to scare
people by surprise |
boo-hoo |
boohoo |
"I'm crying!" |
Your internet is slow?
Boo-hoo, how sad for you. |
Used, often
sarcastically, to imitate crying. |
brr |
brrrr |
"It's cold" |
"Brrr, it's -20C
outside" |
Being cold, shivering |
d'oh |
doh |
"That was
stupid/bad!" |
"I just deleted all
my files. D'oh!" |
Homer
Simpson's catchphrase when something bad happens. |
duh |
"That's dumb" |
"Duh, you didn't
plug it in." |
Expresses annoyance over
something stupid or obvious |
|
eek |
eeeek |
"Help!" |
"Eeek, a
mouse!" |
Girly scream. Surprised,
scared. |
eep |
"Oh no!" |
"Eep! I didn't mean
to say that!" |
Surprise (female) |
|
eh? |
huh? |
"What?" |
"Eh? I didn't hear
what you said." |
Misunderstanding. Also
see "eh?" below |
eh? |
huh?, eyh? |
"Is that
right?" |
"So she dumped you,
eh?" |
Stereotypically overused
by Canadians |
eww |
ugh, ewww, yuck, ick |
"Disgusting" |
"Ewww, this apple
is rotten" |
Disgust, dislike |
fuff |
"Bullshit" |
"Oh fuff, you don't
know what you're talking about!" |
Contempt and disregard |
|
gah |
"This is
hopeless" |
"Gah, I give
up" |
Exasperation and despair |
|
gee |
"Really?" |
"Gee, that's
super!" |
Surprise, enthusiasm, or
just general emphasis. |
|
grr |
grrrr |
"I'm angry" |
"Grrr, I'll kick
his ass" |
Anger, snarling,
growling. Often used for dogs and other animals. |
hmm |
hm, hmmmm |
"I wonder" |
"Hmm, I'm not sure
about that" |
Thinking, hesitation. |
humph |
harumph |
"I don't like
this" |
"There are kids on
my lawn again, humph!" |
A snort, to express
dislike, disbelief or annoyance. |
hah |
heh |
"Funny." |
"Heh, that's
clever" |
The first syllable of
"hahaha", when something is just a little funny. "Hah"
can also be used spitefully in one-upmanship, as in "Hah, got you again
you loser" |
haha |
hehe, hahaha, bahaha |
"Funny!" |
"Haha, that's
hilarious!" |
Regular laughter. |
huh |
"Really?" |
"Huh, you were
right" |
Mild, indifferent
surprise |
|
hurrah |
hooray, huzzah |
"Let's
celebrate!" |
"Hurrah, we
won!" |
Generic exclaimation of
joy |
ick |
yuck, ich, yak |
"Disgusting" |
"Ick, this milk has
gone bad" |
Disgust, dislike |
meh |
eh |
"I don't know" |
"Meh, whatever you
think is best" |
Indifference |
mhm |
mmhm, uh-hu |
"Yes" |
"Do you think so
too?" "Mhm" |
Agreement,
acknowledgement. |
mm |
mmm, mmh |
"Lovely" |
"Mmm, this ice
cream is delicious" |
Pleasure. Sometimes it
means "hmm" instead. |
muahaha |
mwahaha, bwahaha |
"I'm so evil!" |
"I switched the
sugar and the salt! Muahaha!" |
Evil villain's
triumphant laugh |
mwah |
m-wah |
"Kiss!" |
"Thanks, you're so
sweet! Mwah!" |
The sound of blowing a
kiss |
nah |
"No" |
"Want another
beer?" "Nah, I'm good" |
Informal no |
|
nuh-uh |
nuh-hu, nu-huh |
"No, it
isn't!"/"Did not!" |
"I hit you!"
"Nuh-uh!" "Yuh-uh!" "Nuh-uh!" |
Childish negation or
refusal |
oh |
"I see" |
"Oh, you wanted
sugar, not milk." |
Realisation |
|
ooh-la-la |
oh-lala, la-di-da,
la-dee-dah |
"Fancy!" |
"A seven layer
wedding cake? Ooh-la-la!" |
An often ironic (or just
funny) way indicating that something is fancy or high class |
ooh |
oooh |
"Wonderful!" |
"Oooh, it's
shiny!" |
Wonder, amazement (ohhh
can also mean ahhh) |
oomph |
umph |
"I'm exerting
myself" |
"Push on 3.. 1, 2,
3.. oomph!" |
A grunt made on sudden
exertion. Also used as a noun to mean "power" or "energy"
("This song needs more oomph!") |
oops |
"I didn't mean to
do that" |
"Oops, I knocked
your cup over" |
Being surprised at or
acknowledging your own mistakes |
|
ouch |
ow, ouch, yeow |
"That hurts" |
"Ouch, I hit my
thumb" |
Expression of pain |
oww |
oww, ouch, yeow |
"That hurts" |
"Oww, I hit my
thumb" |
Expression of pain |
oy |
oi, oyh |
"Hey, you!" |
"Oy! You forgot
your wallet!" |
Mainly British: Used to
get someone's attention, similar to "hey!". Also used
disapprovingly ("Oy, you spilled your drink all over me!"). |
oy |
oy vay |
"Oh no..." |
"The bills are
piling up. Oy..." |
Mainly Jewish: Used to
express self-pity, similar to "woe is me!" |
pew |
pee-yew |
"It stinks!" |
"Pew, that smells
so gross!" |
Used for foul odors |
pff |
pffh, pssh, pfft |
"That's
nothing" |
"Pff, I once caught
a fish twice that size" |
Unimpressed |
phew |
"That was
close!" |
"I didn't do my
homework, but the teacher didn't check. Phew!" |
Expressing relief |
|
psst |
Whispering "Hey,
you!" |
"Psst. Let's skip
the next class!" |
Used to quietly get
someone's attention, often to tell them a secret. |
|
sheesh |
jeez |
"I can't believe
this!" |
"Sheesh, now he's
drunk again" |
Exasperation, annoyance
(corruption of "Jesus") |
shh |
hush, shush |
"Be quiet" |
"Shh, I'm trying to
hear what they're saying!" |
Used to make someone be
quiet |
shoo |
"Go away" |
"Get out of here!
Shoo!" |
Used to drive away
animals or small children |
|
tsk-tsk |
tut-tut |
"Disappointing" |
"Tsk-tsk, he is
late for work again" |
disappointment, contempt
(this is a clicking sound. Clip from Futurama) |
uh-huh |
mhm, uh-hu |
"Yes" |
"Do you think so
too?" "Uh-hu" |
Agreement,
acknowledgement (easily confused with uh-uh) |
uh-oh |
oh-oh |
"Oh no!" |
"Uh-oh, I think the
bear is inside the house" |
Concerned for
indications that something will happen |
uh-uh |
unh-unh, unh-uh |
"No" |
"Eat your
spinach!" "Uh-uh!" |
Refusal, especially if
your mouth is full or if you refuse to open it (easily confused with uh-huh) |
uhh |
uhm, err |
"Wait, I'm
thinking" |
"Seven times eight
is... uhh... 56" |
Indicates a pause in,
rather than the end of, a sentence |
umm |
uhh, ummm |
"I'm hesitant" |
"Umm.. Do you
really think that's wise?" |
Being hesitant or
skeptical (usually interchangable with "uhh" above) |
waah |
waaaaah |
"I'm crying!" |
"I don't want you
to go! Waaah!" |
Used, often
sarcastically, for imitating crying or whining. |
wee |
whee, weee |
"This is fun!" |
"Weee!
Faster!" |
Used by children when
doing something fun, and often ironically by adults when something is fun but
childish |
whoa |
"Hold on." |
"Whoa, take it
easy!" |
Can be used to suggest
caution as in here, and also stereotypically used by marijuana smokers to
express dumbfounded amazement ("whoa, look at the colors!").
Originally a sound used to make horses stop. |
|
wow |
"Amazing!" |
"Wow, that's
incredible!" |
Impressed, astonished |
|
yahoo |
yippee, woohoo |
"Let's
celebrate!" |
"Yippie! We
won!" |
Generic exclaimation of
joy |
yay |
"Yes!" |
"Yay! We won!" |
All-purpose cheer.
Approval, congratulations and triumph |
|
yeah |
yeeeeaah! |
"Yes!" |
"Yeeeaah! Kick his
butt!" |
Common slang for
"yes", sometimes also used as an interjection. |
yee-haw |
yeehaw |
"I'm excited!" |
"Let's gather some
cattle! Yee-haw!" |
Much like
"yahoo", but almost always associated with cowboys. |
yikes |
"That's a bad
surprise." |
"I found out I owed
$5000 in back taxes. Yikes!" |
Fear and alarm. |
|
yoo-hoo |
yoohoo |
"Hey you!" |
"Yoo-hoo, sugercup!
Come give me a hug!" |
The often
ironic/comical, seductive call of a woman to get someone's attention |
yuh-uh |
yuh-hu, yu-huh |
"Yes, it
is!"/"Did so!" |
"I hit you!"
"Nuh-uh!" "Yuh-uh!" "Nuh-uh!" ... |
Childish affirmation,
often used to counter "nuh-uh!" (not to be confused with yoo-hoo). |
yuck |
ick, ich, blech, bleh,
eww, ugh, yech |
"Disgusting!" |
"Yuck, I wouldn't
want to touch that" |
Disgust, dislike |
zing |
ba-dum-tss, badum tish |
"Haha, well
said!" |
"You're so stupid,
you'd trip over a wireless phone!" "Zing!" |
Used (often ironically)
to punctuate a punchline or witty comeback. From the sound of a rimshot,
played after punchlines in some comedy acts. |
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