# ahem vs ate

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### ahem
*intj · IPA /əˈhɛm/ · frequency rank #20,828*
The sound of a quiet cough or of clearing one's throat.

### ate
*verb · IPA /eɪt/ · frequency rank #3,999*
simple past of eat

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ahem-vs-ate