ach
German, interjection
ach is spelled A-C-H (3 letters) and appears 141 times per million words in written German, the 622nd most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Ach is a German interjection meaning “oh, alas (expressing surprise, sorrow, or understanding)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Ach is a different word: “oh”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “(kurz, ansteigend) drückt Verwunderung aus”.
What does ach mean in English?
interjection
- 1
oh, alas (expressing surprise, sorrow, or understanding)
- 2
oh (preceding an offhand or annoyed remark)
- 3
oh (preceding an invocation or address, but rarely a solemn one)
noun
- 1
neuteroh
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
interjection: 1. (kurz, ansteigend) drückt Verwunderung aus 2. (langgezogen, stöhnend) drückt Leiden aus 3. (langgezogen, ansteigend) drückt Aufmerksamkeit oder Interesse aus 4. (kurzab, wegwerfend) Belanglosigkeit oder Desinteresse aus
abbreviation: 1. Abkürzung für Acetylcholin
noun: 1. Ausdruck der Betroffenheit oder des Bedauerns
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of ach
- Achs genitive
- och variant
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to ach
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is ach in German?
ach appears 141 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).