oh

Name: oh, German Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

[oː]

/[oː]/ intj

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“oh” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #507 in German word frequency and used as an interjection.

#507
frequency rank, German: 2
letters: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ausruf des Erstaunens, der Überraschung

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

oh vs ok

50% similar

oh vs on

50% similar

oh vs OP

0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for oh
Property	Value
Headword	oh
Language	German
Part of speech	Interjection
IPA	[oː]
Letters	2
Frequency rank	#507
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “oh” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). oh lands here:

#507

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for oh is 2 letters long, classified as an interjection, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [oː]. Corpus data places it at rank #507 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Ausruf des Erstaunens, der Überraschung".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for oh, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ok", "on", "OP", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is oh, spelled O-H.

Definition

1
Ausruf des Erstaunens, der Überraschung

Synonyms

huch oha

This word in other languages

oh(English)oh(Français)oh(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "oh"?

"oh" is spelled O-H. The IPA pronunciation is [oː].

What does "oh" mean?

As an interjection, "oh" means: Ausruf des Erstaunens, der Überraschung

What words are commonly confused with "oh"?

"oh" is commonly confused with "ok", "on", "OP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "oh"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oh" is [oː]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "oh" come from?

"oh" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “oh”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct German spelling is O-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as [oː] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “ok” - see the side-by-side comparison. oh vs ok
Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.