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 eye mixes uh and ums
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: uh is [uː] while ums is [ʊms]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs abbrev), which is usually the fastest check. 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.
Orthographic DNA of uh vs ums
Shared letters: u. Private to "uh": h. Private to "ums": ms.
"uh" · 2 letters · shape VC · "ums" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "uh" and "ums" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "uh" or "ums"?
What to do next
You've compared "uh" and "ums". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "uh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ums" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,952,998 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "uh" and "ums" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "uch vs uh". Nearby pair
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.