They often seem disreputable, like sullen idlers loitering in a public thoroughfare, but they actually do a lot of hard work and are usually persnickety about the tasks to which they are put. They are interjections — one class of them, anyway: those lacking etymological origins but packed with meaning.
But how do you know how to distinguish similar ones — or spell them, for that matter? Here’s an incomplete inventory of interjections (not including variations of actual words such as yeah for yes or onomatopoeic echoes of externally produced sounds like boom):
Ack communicates disgust or dismissal.
Ah can denote positive emotions like relief or delight (generally, pronounced with a long a).
Aha signals triumph or surprise, or perhaps derision.
Ahem is employed to gain attention.
Argh, often drawn out with additional h’s, is all about frustration.
Aw can be dismissive or indicative of disappointment, or, when drawn out, expressive of sympathy or adoration.
Aye denotes agreement.
Bah is dismissive.
Blah communicates boredom or disappointment.
Blech (or bleah or bleh) implies nausea.
Boo is an exclamation to provoke fright.
Boo-hoo is imitative of crying and is derisive.
Boo-ya (with several spelling variants) is a cry of triumph.
Bwah-hah-hah (variously spelled, including mwah-hah-hah) facetiously mimics the stereotypical archvillain’s triumphant laugh.
D’oh is the spelling for the muttering accompanying Homer Simpson’s trademark head-slapping self-abuse.
Duh derides someone who seems dense.
Eek indicates an unpleasant surprise.
Eh, with a question mark, is a request for repetition or confirmation of what was just said; without, it is dismissive.
Er (sometimes erm) plays for time.
Ew denotes disgust, intensified by the addition of one or more e’s and/or w’s.
Feh (and its cousin meh) is an indication of feeling underwhelmed or disappointed.
Gak is an expression of disgust or distaste.
Ha expresses joy or surprise, or perhaps triumph.
Ha-ha (with possible redoubling) communicates laughter or derision.
Hamana-hamana, variously spelled, and duplicated as needed, implies speechless embarrassment.
Hardy-har-har, or har-har repeated as needed, communicates mock amusement.
Hee-hee is a mischievous laugh, while its variants heh and heh-heh (and so on) can have a more derisive connotation.
Hey can express surprise or exultation, or can be used to request repetition or call for attention.
Hist signals the desire for silence.
Hm, extended as needed, suggests curiosity, confusion, consternation, or skepticism.
Hmph (also hrmph or humph) indicates displeasure or indignation.
Ho-ho is expressive of mirth, or (along with its variant oh-ho) can indicate triumph of discovery.
Ho-hum signals indifference or boredom.
Hubba-hubba is the vocal equivalent of a leer.
Huh (or hunh) is a sign of disbelief, confusion, or surprise, or, with a question mark, is a request for repetition.
Hup, from the sound-off a military cadence chant, signals beginning an exerting task.
Hurrah (also hoorah, hooray, and hurray, and even huzzah) is an exclamation of triumph or happiness.
Ick signals disgust.
Lah-de-dah denotes nonchalance or dismissal, or derision about pretension.
Mm-hmm, variously spelled, is an affirmative or corroborating response.
Mmm, extended as needed, conveys palatable or palpable pleasure.
Mwah is suggestive of a kiss, often implying unctuous or exaggerated affection.
Neener-neener, often uttered in a series of three repetitions, is a taunt.
Now (often repeated “Now, now”) is uttered as an admonition.
Oh is among the most versatile of interjections. Use it to indicate comprehension or acknowledgment (or, with a question mark, a request for verification), to preface direct address (“Oh, sir!”), as a sign of approximation or example (“Oh, about three days”), or to express emotion or serves as a response to a pain or pleasure. (Ooh is a variant useful for the last two purposes.)
Oh-oh (or alternatives in which oh is followed by various words) is a warning response to something that will have negative repercussions.
Olé, with an accent mark over the e, is borrowed from Spanish and is a vocal flourish to celebrate a deft or adroit maneuver.
Ooh, with o’s repeated as needed, conveys interest or admiration, or, alternatively, disdain.
Ooh-la-la is a response to an attempt to impress or gently mocks pretension or finery.
Oops (and the jocular diminutive variation oopsie or oopsy and the variant whoops) calls attention to an error or fault.
Ouch (or ow, extended as needed) signals pain or is a response to a harsh word or action.
Oy, part of Yiddish expressions such as oy gevalt (equivalent to “Uh-oh”), is a lament of frustration, concern, or self-pity.
Pff, extended as needed, expresses disappointment, disdain, or annoyance.
Pfft, or phfft, communicates abrupt ending or departure or is a sardonic dismissal akin to pff.
Phew, or pew, communicates disgust, fatigue, or relief. (Phooey, also spelled pfui, is a signal for disgust, too, and can denote dismissal as well. PU and P.U. are also variants.)
Poof is imitative of a sudden disappearance, as if by magic.
Pooh is a contemptuous exclamation.
Pshaw denotes disbelief, disapproval, or irritation or, alternatively, communicates facetious self-consciousness.
Psst calls for quiet.
Rah, perhaps repeated, signals triumph.
Shh (extended as necessary) is an imperative for silence.
Sis boom bah is an outdated encouraging cry, most likely to be used mockingly now.
Tchah communicates annoyance.
Tsk-tsk and its even snootier variant tut-tut are condemnations or scoldings; the related sound tch is the teeth-and-tongue click of disapproval.
Ugh is an exclamation of disgust.
Uh is an expression of skepticism or a delaying tactic.
Uh-huh indicates affirmation or agreement.
Uh-oh signals concern or dismay.
Uh-uh is the sound of negation or refusal.
Um is a placeholder for a pause but also denotes skepticism.
Va-va-voom is an old-fashioned exclamation denoting admiration of physical attractiveness.
Whee is an exclamation of excitement or delight.
Whew is a variant of phew but can also express amazement.
Whoa is a call to halt or an exclamation of surprise or relief.
Whoop-de-doo and its many variants convey mocking reaction to something meant to impress.
Woo and woo-hoo (and variations like yahoo, yee-haw, and yippee) indicate excitement. (Woot, also spelled w00t among an online in-crowd, is a probably ephemeral variant.)
Wow expresses surprise.
Yay is a congratulatory exclamation. (Not to be confused with yeah, a variant of yes.)
Yikes is an expression of fear or concern, often used facetiously.
Yo-ho-ho is the traditional pirates’ refrain.
Yoo-hoo attracts attention.
Yow, or yowza, is an exclamation of surprise or conveys being impressed.
Yuck (also spelled yech or yecch) signals disgust. (Not to be confused with yuk, a laugh.)
Yum, or yummy, is a response to the taste of something delicious and, by extension, the sight of an attractive person.
Zoinks is an expression of surprise or amazement popularized by the cartoon character Shaggy, of Scooby Doo fame.
Zowie, often in combination following wowie, a variant of wow, expresses admiration or astonishment.
thebluebird11: Backatya “nice pun.”
Yup. “Careful” was one of its first suggestions. . .which is why spell check will never replace proofreading. Well, one of the reasons why.
And, yes, the fact that the driver was texting–or at least checking text messages–was also a concern, although not really a concern for the school attorney, thank the lord. The loud music explanation is plausible, but I have this really bad feeling that those 40 years younger than I would just look puzzled and blank if I suggested to them that there had to be some special REASON to text in that situation. I have lived all my adult life in a child-free environment, but what I hear from my clients leads me to suspect that it really is a different world out there, beyond the ordinary generation-gap thing.
@Kathryn: Boy, are we off topic! Almost makes me want to say, let’s get out of DWT’s hair and let’s continue this in regular email!
There is probably a generational thing, but yes, there are other issues. My ex-husband used to tell my daughter that the reason she and I didn’t get along was that we were “too alike.” I beg to differ. In fact, we are NOT alike (OK, yes, we are both female, have 2 eyes, a nose etc). She is more like my mother was, in terms of some aspects of her personality, and I feel trapped between two annoying people.
As much as I appreciate the advantages of each form of communication, I understand the drawbacks and limitations too. I also understand that many people my age and older (and maybe younger too, as I think you are) don’t see eye to eye with the preteens/teens/20-somethings who can spend hours at a family dinner or a party, and be texting the whole time, yes, even to people at the same function! I consider it rude, but I guess they consider it routine, no “special reason” required. My neighbor, who, at 40, is more than a decade younger than I am, goes ballistic about people texting and driving, and is on the warpath to make it illegal. Sigh. I know she’s right. I also know that no matter what laws you pass, there are people who will break them, get away with it, and even take others’ lives as they do it…
thebluebird11–if your 40 year old neighbor is only “more than a decade” younger than you, I suspect you and I would qualify in most people’s minds as conteporaries. And to your last point? Amen!
If DWT frowns on sharing e-mail addresses, then no doubt this post will get deleted, but I agree that maybe we should let this thread expire in a natural way. So. I am at Verizon.net. My last name is McCary. There is a period between my first and last names, which are then followed by the a-in-a-circle symbol and the domain name.
Because, really, I could expatiate on the subject of texting-while-mediating, but I think it would be better to stop. Here.
ApK–well, when I read “A Modest Proposal” in High School English umpteen many years ago, a large part of the (AP) class was initially highly indignant over his barbaric suggestion. Didn’t get the satire, y’see. I have always suspected that the inclusion of that piece in “A Reader for Writers” is why that highly innocuous work made it onto the hit list of “Anti-American, Anti-Christian, Anti-Semitic and just plain filthy” books that ultimately led to the US Supreme Court’s decision in “Island Trees Sch. Dist. v. Pico” (school library books have tenure–you don’t have to buy them in the first place, but once they are on the shelves you can’t remove them because of objections to their content.) I traced down a copy of the book (which was the text for my HS English class) and am reading through it. . .slowly. . .and I sure haven’t come across anything else that would qualify!
This list made my day 🙂
There are many others, I assure you. And there are things that don’t normally come to mind that fit the category as well. One time in grad school we decided to develop a list of expressions that could mean the sex act; we quit when the list eclipsed 150 words and we were still mining.
whats so nice about this list is the fabulous comments. thanks guys
Mark, it was an excellent list and a fun post. But I might suggest an addition for “uh-huh” as in “uh…huh” (wherein the interjection is broken into two distinct sounds with a pause between them). This would be a derisive dismissal of something, as in “You say that your dog can do algebra? Uh…huh. Right.”
Stephen:
I hear you — with a rising inflection. That interjection is not unknown to me.
I would add “Yep” to the list, I use it quite often as starting a sentence with “Yes” somehow seems a bit too much… I think it was originally “Yup.” Funny, it was not in the list but I found it twice in the comments above…
This list is excellent, the comments absolutely wonderful. I find it interesting that a post about words that are not at all words, on a website about words, can evoke such huge response. 🙂 Oh, and Ack, in my world as a Sweed, means something like “Ah” in a somewhat sorroful and fatalistic voice. Hard to explain. It is used in some beautiful old Swedish folk songs. My mind just refuses to accept that it might be a negative expression. About texting and teenage speak; I simply can’t deal with those that skip the apostrophy in “I’m” or “It’s”. Just a pet peeve maybe but that does give them a different meaning altogether. In texting it’s understandable but in emails and on websites it looks so sloppy. I have never been a fan of sms and even if I have adapted the lol and ttyl etc, I’ve more and more started to use the *snickering, *scratching my head* or *grinning wickedly* in emails etc. I do prefer to express myself without worrying about others understanding me when it’s just as easy and almost as fast to make myself perfectly clear. I get a feeling that now that we have unlimited storage space, online and on our own harddrives, we create boundaries for ourselves that are unnecessary. Twitter of course is one example. Another one is bad cellphone operators putting a ridiculously low limit on the message size when there is no technical reason whatsoever to do so. Uh, I’m ranting. sorry. 🙂
I have a friend that keeps telling me that spelling doesn’t matter in our online chats, yet he is just as pedantic and we both fight our instincts to correct and apologize. I was struggling, I lost. That was supposed to be “adopted” 😀
A little clarification on the word “woot”. In the gaming world, WOOT is short for “we own other team” as in “we beat you”, “in your face”, etc. The leetspeak version is usually “w00t”, but other variants are possible.
Cool. We all need to be groomed from the basics when we are young in order to master thee little basic but the most important aspects of English which define who we are and how we approach our daily communication as it can be perceived with ought any good effect.
I must confessed that i have been richly enlightened more on many exclamations i never knew earlier.now my vocabulary library has been reinforced.cheers for that!
i want to know the meanings of the words like
sob….
lol…..
blush..
Exclamation and Interjection are one and same thing.
Mark, Great article, Its good to finally find a list such as this online.
I am PhD student, currently in the process of building a dictionary program to analyse large corpora. With your permission, may I use this list above, Have you written about this topic in a more formal setting such a book chapter or journal paper? As I’d like to make reference to this work in my thesis? Could you also recommend anyone else who has generated a similar list such as this? – Thanks Kassia
Mark
Isn’t Ooh-la-la borrowed from French, which would explain its posh-ness
or pretention, as you put it.
Excellent list. Well done; however…
Two critical items are missing. They are similar in spelling and root word, but have different pronunciations and often completely different meanings:
wut: spoken in a (querulous) dull, moronic undertone, it typically indicates a request for repetition or identifies the other person’s statement(s) as being of mildly questionable validity.
wat (pronounced with a long “a”): also querulous, but spoken in a sharper and higher voice than “wut.” It is used for complete disbelief or speechlessness. Physically, it is accompanied by a squinting of the eyes.
Both are used in texting and 1337-speak.
Well, hello. I don’t know if this has been said already because I got too impatient to read every post, but I thought that ‘hamana-hamana’ came from the Flintstones, not Bill and Cat or whatever… then again, I’m not from the Flintstones’ generation, I’m pretty sure that that was my oldest sister (I’m sixteen, she’s twenty-two), so I’m probably wrong.
I feel like I should throw in some interjections, but I’m not really in the mood… I’m normally much more fun, I swear!
Hello all, I have no idea whether these have been said already but I just wanted to share the interjections that I use. I don’t know whether there is any one under 18 here so here’s my list from the perspective of the younger generation.
Whoa- said in awe
pwar- said in amazement. (“You actually did that? Pwar” Can be emphasized with capitals “PWAR!”)
whoaa? or wha?- what?
say wha?- What did you say?
Yep or yerp- meaning yes
Ergh or Erg
Eek- sound of surprise- (eg when I fall off a chair)
Woop instead of woot
Pah instead of Feh or Bah
Hmf instead of Hmph
Pfft or Pshh
AHH- frustration (caps are for emphasis)
heheh instead of hee-hee
a laugh is hahah, a more cheeky laugh is heheh or tehehe
lol- but not actually laughing
LOL- actually laughing out loud
to emphasis the humor, you could text LOLOLOL etc
Omgosh
Um- said when thinking
gee gee-
(eg. “Red shirts are the coolest thing ever” Sam says ” I have a red shirt..” ” Hahah gee gee”) It’s like touche but not.. Sorry guys, I don’t really know how to explain it
Anyway. I think people were talking about vocab in texting in the comments above. Putting emotions into your text is essential. And the full stops matter as well. Full stops sends a blunt tone.
If I got sent a text and I replied as “Fine.” or “Kay” means that I’m very mad at that person. Kay means okay but I think it indicates that the person doesn’t even deserve the effort of putting in that o. I don’t know but I think that’s what it means. I just know that it mean your mad.
It depends whether I’m talking to my boss or friends.
Putting in interjections in a text means that it’s playful. Adding emotions such as 🙂 ^^ :3 :p and the 😉 wink. The wink is seductive. It can also be playful. It depends what your talking about and I don’t want to offend by giving an example. The emotions already on the phone are weird. Like what’s with the nose? 🙂
I text my aunty who’s 30 and she texts very very different. I tell her she texts like an old person. Then she hits me.
For those who are curious, a text to one of my friends would refer to something along the lines of this:
” Oh what your actually working!!!!???? D:”
“Ohhhhhhhh i didn’t think of that place:p oh well I’ll leave you to study then:)”
People, keep your comments down to a sentence or two. Seriously.
“Yay” is a non-standard spelling of “yea,” and thus an affirmative like “yes” or “yeah.” It’s functionally equivalent to the last two with an exclamation mark, except that many people misspell “yea” as “yeah,” which is tenable except when used ironically (when it looks bizarre.)
All one-word expletives can be included as expressive interjections. I assume that, unlike the Urban Dictionary website, you’re keeping it clean here. Oh, what the heck. One common expletive is s**t. It’s a substitute for ack, ugh, oy and the like. One online dictionary defines its use as an interjection as: “to express disgust, disappointment, frustration, contempt, or the like.”
I’m sorry but whenever I hear ‘hamana hamana” all I can think of is spongebob. And if it wasn’t for that I honestly don’t believe I would have ever heard that interjection — ever. xD
And then there’s “meh.” From The Urban Dictionary: “Indifference; to be used when one simply does not care.
A: What do you want for dinner?
B: Meh.
I’ve also heard it described as a VERBAL shrug of the shoulders.
A. How was the movie?
B. Meh.
I’m bookmarking this page. Lots of informative and intriguing comments, too. And by lots, I mean massive, tiring walls of text. Not even sure if anyone will ever notice my two cents here.
Duser:
“People, keep your comments down to a sentence or two. Seriously.”
Eh, some people just have a lot to say. Its fine by me as long as their comments are arranged neatly in paragraphs, and straightforward (not unnecessarily long, all bullshit cut).
thebluebird11:
“….American dogs say “ruff, ruff” or “bark, bark” (or whatever). Israeli dogs say “Hahv, hahv.””
I never knew about the Israeli dogs. Why “hahv, hahv”? It doesn’t sound like a bark. Here in Philippines, dogs say “aw, aw”. Also, Filipino frogs say “kokak, kokak”.
“Feh” is NOT equivalent to “meh”. Both are from Yiddish, where “meh” is more commonly encountered as “mneh” or, better, “myeh”, with an indifferent shrug. But “feh” is an exclamation of disgust and distaste for something dirty, soiled, or sordid. Feh is what you say when you throw out some obviously spoiled food, or empty ashtrays, or hear about someone posting pictures of their genitals to facebook. Hardly the same as the bored indifference of “meh”.
Maybe this was already discussed and I missed it, but there is an alternate use of “Eh”–in Canada (or parts close to Canada, such as North Dakota). In Minnesota we finish sentences with “then,” Scots do so with “y’ken,” and Canadians use “eh.” No further information sought in that usage–it’s rhetorical.
@JM Grieves
I don’t know if the “eh” you are referring to is similar to what my family from Maine say (near the St. Stephen part of Canada): They say “eh” but also (let me try to spell it out: “eh-yut or ah-yut/aye yut”? usually in an affirmative response to somebody else.
Mainers have a lot of interjections that I don’t hear down here in New Haven, ct: like “yessuh” pronounced differently than the southern version “lately heard in movies that 1. either are actually films about slaves on a plantation, or African American/Black person servant/butler/maid in confirmation or 2. ignorant mocking of what a servant or slave might say to a white “Yessuh master.” Essentially Yes Sir… In Maine it is very different, slowed down I guess? IDK I tried to add to the list, and my explanation was in NO WAY intended to offend. I was trying to find a way to express it and unfortunately being PC online is hard to tell sometimes. Apologies to any and all if it didn’t come off the way I intended.
whoopee/whoopie (slang, informal) – an exclamation of joy, excitement; a loud, excited shout of happiness etc. Used to express jubilance , exultation, merry abandon. Shows that you are very happy and excited. Noisy and boisterous revelry.
“Boo” is used less often to intentionally scare someone and more often to alert them to the fact that you’re there, in a less-than-polite fashion.
You forgot “like.” Overused whenever someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about forgets what they’re trying to say.
Blah, blah, blah, mentioned earlier by someone denotes boredom with speech, while single blah denotes general boredom as indicated (or perhaps as a contraction of bland). Blah, blah, blah may be a spoken cognizant taken from Spanish: habla, habla, habla means talk, talk, talk. (The h is silent in Spanish).
So how do I use Duh!I never thot its an exsisting interjection!as well as vava vomvom
An interjection missed: Oi. I believe that it came over to the US via England or Australia, but I have no proof. Mostly I’ve heard it used in the context of an attention-getting sound, as Americans would use Hey! or Hey, you!
Another one I missed is Ay yi yi! Often accompanied by the shaking of one or both hands (and maybe a head shake, too), it’s an intensification of Ay, as in Ay, what a mess!
And ApK, Kathryn, and thebluebird11 – kudos, hugs, and a HUGE grin to you – you kept me entertained all night!
OMG! The first use of “hamana-hamana-hamana” must be accredited to Jackie Gleason on The Honeymooners, circa 1951.
And the sound one makes when finally finishing an arduous, difficult job?
So many comments I want to make in response to comments above, but I came here for a spelling of “ee” which is a general sound that can express everything from delight to consternation in northern English dialects. My wife put an h at the end (eeh) in the manner of “oh” I suppose. I thought ey might work, but that is pronounced differently (and also used in the Yorkshire dialect, as in “ey up” So, thoughts?
I also have to add this to the comment on “aye” above. Aye is indeed a different form of the word “Yes” but it is absolutely NOT foreign; it may have its roots in Old English as “ge” (yay) as opposed to “giese” (yes) and it is found in Shakespeare. Just as French once had “oïl ” and “oc” for yes, English had (and has) yes and aye. And again, thinking of France, it has a region called Languedoc (langue d’oc) to denote the area that “oc” remained the longest, I like to think I live in “Languedaye” – which includes northern England and Scotland.