uhvsumsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: uh is a intj, ums is an abbrev, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“uh” is an intj and “ums” is an abbrev - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,767
“uh” frequency rank
#2,417
“ums” frequency rank
14184
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature uh ums
Definition Ausruf des Widerwillens, des Erschreckens Zusammenfluss von Präposition und bestimmten Artikel (Akkusativ Neutrum): um das

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set uh and ums apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
uh
3 ch
ums

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

uh and ums form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14184, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

uh is recorded at frequency rank #11,767, classified as anintj, pronounced [uː]. ums is at rank #2,417, tagged as anabbrev, pronounced [ʊms].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 14184, this pair ranks #1,952,998 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

uh#11,767
ums#2,417

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "uh" and "ums" be used interchangeably?
No, "uh" and "ums" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering uh vs ums

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an intj, it's “uh”; for an abbrev, it's “ums”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “uh” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list