ouch

/ˈaʊt͡ʃ/

//ˈaʊt͡ʃ// intj

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

"ouch" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ouch” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,773. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,773
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An expression of one's own physical pain.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ouch · ouch · English

ouch · rank #13,773 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,773
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Osaka

Nearest frequency peer: Osaka (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ouch”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ouch” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ouch vs out
50% similar
ouch vs our
50% similar
ouch vs oui
50% similar

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

Key facts for ouch
PropertyValue
Headwordouch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/ˈaʊt͡ʃ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#13,773
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ouch”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).ouchlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Osaka” (#13,772), “outsiders” (#13,774), “oppressed” (#13,771). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ouch” is #13,773. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around ouch (IPA /ˈaʊt͡ʃ/), aninterjection. Corpus frequency is #13,773 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for ouch, with forms such as "ocuh", "oucch", and "ouchh". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "out", "our", "oui", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain. Some sources say the interjection is attested since 1838 (and specifically in American English) and derives ultimately from German autsch, perhaps specifically via Pennsylvania German outch (“cry of pain”), as early attestations of the interjecti… The correct English form is ouch, spelled O-U-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An expression of one's own physical pain.
  2. 2
    An expression in sympathy at another's pain.
  3. 3
    A reply to an insult seen as savage (frequently one that is tongue-in-cheek or joking).
  4. 4
    An expression of disappointment.
  5. 5
    Expressing surprise at the high price of something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how ouch appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ouch! You stepped on my toe! That hurt!
  2. Ouch! Her sunburn looks awful.

Etymology

Uncertain. Some sources say the interjection is attested since 1838 (and specifically in American English) and derives ultimately from German autsch, perhaps specifically via Pennsylvania German outch (“cry of pain”), as early attestations of the interjection are from Pennsylvania. However, others say the interjection is a "mere" or "natural" exclamation attested since the mid 1600s, and the 1933 OED cites one instance of a verb "ouch" in 1654, "Sancho Pancas Runs Ouching round the mountaine like a ranck-Asse".

Synonyms

oofowowieyouchyowyowch

This word in other languages

ay(Español)aïe(Français)au(Deutsch)ai(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ocuh
  • oucch
  • ouchh
  • ouhc
  • uoch

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ouch - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ocuh2oucch1ouchh1ouhc2uoch2
Edit distance from "ouch"

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 "ouch"?
"ouch" is spelled O-U-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaʊt͡ʃ/.
What does "ouch" mean?
As an interjection, "ouch" means: An expression of one's own physical pain.
What words are commonly confused with "ouch"?
"ouch" is commonly confused with "out", "our", "oui". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ouch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ouch" is /ˈaʊt͡ʃ/. 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 "ouch"?
Uncertain. Some sources say the interjection is attested since 1838 (and specifically in American English) and derives ultimately from German autsch, perhaps specifically via Pennsylvania German outch (“cry of pain”), as early attestations of the ... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ouch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

milo#13,760pubs#13,792lowe#13,751jaws#13,742

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

furry5 variantsToni5 variantsAussie5 variantsAlps5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list