eh

/eɪ/

//eɪ// intj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"eh" is a 2-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“eh” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,595 in English word frequency and used as an interjection.

#4,595
frequency rank, English
2
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Used as a tag question, to emphasise what goes before or to request that the listener express an opinion about what has been said.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

eh vs ex
50% similar
eh vs et
50% similar
eh vs EU
0% similar

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

Key facts for eh
PropertyValue
Headwordeh
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/eɪ/
Letters2
Frequency rank#4,595
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “eh” sits in English 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). eh lands here:

#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 English entry for eh is 2 letters long, classified as an interjection, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /eɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,595 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for eh, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ex", "et", "EU", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Natural exclamation; first recorded mid-16th century. Perhaps an unstressed variant of aye (“yes, yeah”). The Philippine sense is possibly influenced by Tagalog e and/or Spanish eh. The correct English form is eh, spelled E-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used as a tag question, to emphasise what goes before or to request that the listener express an opinion about what has been said.
  2. 2
    In isolation, a request for repetition or clarification of what has just been said.
  3. 3
    In isolation, expressing surprise or confusion
  4. 4
    An interjection used to ascertain the continued attention of someone addressed by the speaker.
  5. 5
    Expressing apathy or lack of enthusiasm; meh.
  6. 6
    Expressing apprehension following or preceding a reasoning or excuse; uh.

Etymology

Natural exclamation; first recorded mid-16th century. Perhaps an unstressed variant of aye (“yes, yeah”). The Philippine sense is possibly influenced by Tagalog e and/or Spanish eh.

This word in other languages

no(Español)hein(Français)gell(Deutsch)hein(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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "eh"?
"eh" is spelled E-H. The IPA pronunciation is /eɪ/.
What does "eh" mean?
As an interjection, "eh" means: Used as a tag question, to emphasise what goes before or to request that the listener express an opinion about what has been said.
What words are commonly confused with "eh"?
"eh" is commonly confused with "ex", "et", "EU". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "eh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eh" is /eɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "eh"?
Natural exclamation; first recorded mid-16th century. Perhaps an unstressed variant of aye (“yes, yeah”). The Philippine sense is possibly influenced by Tagalog e and/or Spanish eh. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 “eh”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /eɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ex” - see the side-by-side comparison. eh vs ex
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list