ahem
/əˈhɛm/
"ahem" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ahem” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,828 in English word frequency and used as an interjection.
- #20,828
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The sound of a quiet cough or of clearing one's throat.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ahem |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Interjection |
| IPA | /əˈhɛm/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #20,828 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ahem” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ahem is 4 letters long, classified as an interjection, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈhɛm/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,828 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for ahem, with forms such as "aehm", "ahemm", and "ahhem". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "AM", "are", "arm", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Onomatopoeic. The correct English form is ahem, spelled A-H-E-M.
Definition
- 1The sound of a quiet cough or of clearing one's throat.
- 2Demanding attention.
- 3Expresses disapproval or annoyance.
- 4Indicates the speaker does not wish to be perceived as rude, often intimating an impolite meaning to a third party that the speaker is not addressing.
- 5Indicates the speaker does not wish to be perceived as rude, often intimating an impolite meaning to a third party that the speaker is not addressing.
Etymology
Onomatopoeic.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aehm,ahemm,ahhem,ahme,haem
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ahem - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "ahem"?
What does "ahem" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "ahem"?
How do you pronounce "ahem"?
What is the origin of the word "ahem"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “ahem”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-H-E-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈhɛm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “AM” - see the side-by-side comparison. ahem vs AM
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.