mhm

/m̩ˈhm̩/

//m̩ˈhm̩// intj

"mhm" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mhm” is an uncommon English word, ranked #53,699 in English word frequency and used as an interjection.

#53,699
frequency rank, English
3
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Expressing agreement or affirmation.

Key facts for mhm
PropertyValue
Headwordmhm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/m̩ˈhm̩/
Letters3
Frequency rank#53,699
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mhm” 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). mhm 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 mhm is 3 letters long, classified as an interjection, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /m̩ˈhm̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #53,699 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Expressing agreement or affirmation.".

mhm has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Nasalized form of uh-huh, a form imitative of non-verbal sounds. The correct English form is mhm, spelled M-H-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Expressing agreement or affirmation.

Etymology

Nasalized form of uh-huh, a form imitative of non-verbal sounds.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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 "mhm"?
"mhm" is spelled M-H-M. The IPA pronunciation is /m̩ˈhm̩/.
What does "mhm" mean?
As an interjection, "mhm" means: Expressing agreement or affirmation.
How do you pronounce "mhm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mhm" is /m̩ˈhm̩/. 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 "mhm"?
Nasalized form of uh-huh, a form imitative of non-verbal sounds. 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 “mhm”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-H-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /m̩ˈhm̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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