ahem
/əˈhɛm/interjection, verb
ahem is spelled A-H-E-M: 4 letters. It appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an interjection, ahem means “The sound of a quiet cough or of clearing one's throat” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ahem?
| Letters | 4: A-H-E-M |
|---|---|
| In writing | 1.8 times per million words; the 20,906th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ahem?
Ahem appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ahem?
- /əˈhɛm/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ahem.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ahem2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ahem3.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ahem?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as ahem.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: hame, haem.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of ahem
- ehem
- ahems present, singular, he/she/it
- ahemming participle, present
- ahemmed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ahem mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
interjection
- 1
The sound of a quiet cough or of clearing one's throat.
- 2
Demanding attention.
Ahem! Could we please get started?
- 3
Expresses disapproval or annoyance.
Ahem! In case you didn't notice, I did my share of the work, too.
- 4
Indicates subtle sarcasm, polite lying, or euphemism.
I really (ahem!) liked the chocolate broccoli surprise.
- 5
Indicates an unintentional or inappropriate pun.
verb
- 1
To cough or clear one's throat so as to draw attention.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ahem in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense exclamation or cough to get attention:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | ejem |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ahem come from?
Onomatopoeic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).