ug

/ʌɡ/

//ʌɡ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“ug” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #30,268) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#30,268
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A feeling of fear, horror or disgust.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ug · ug · English

ug · rank #30,268 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,268
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH tyrannical

Nearest frequency peer: tyrannical (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “ug”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ug” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ug vs up
50% similar
ug vs us
50% similar
ug vs UK
0% similar

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

Key facts for ug
PropertyValue
Headwordug
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ʌɡ/
Letters2
Frequency rank#30,268
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ug” 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). ug lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ug is neighbouring look-alikes ("up", "us", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ʌɡ/. Frequency #30,268 among 1,433 “U” headwords. 4 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No misspelling variants are generated for ug in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "up", "us", "UK", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ugge, from Old Norse uggr (“fear, apprehension, dread”), related to Old Norse ógn (“terror, threat, dispute”) and agi (“terror, strife, fear, punishment”). More at awe. The correct English form is ug, spelled U-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A feeling of fear, horror or disgust.
  2. 2
    An object of disgust.
  3. 3
    Vomited matter.
  4. 4
    A surfeit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He took an ug at's meht.
  2. What an ug ye've myed yorsel.

Etymology

From Middle English ugge, from Old Norse uggr (“fear, apprehension, dread”), related to Old Norse ógn (“terror, threat, dispute”) and agi (“terror, strife, fear, punishment”). More at awe.

Synonyms

dreadfrightfeardistasteloathsomenessrevulsionabominationchundersickvomitglutsurplusexcess

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ug"?
"ug" is spelled U-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌɡ/.
What does "ug" mean?
As a noun, "ug" means: A feeling of fear, horror or disgust.
What words are commonly confused with "ug"?
"ug" is commonly confused with "up", "us", "UK". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ug"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ug" is /ʌɡ/. 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 "ug"?
From Middle English ugge, from Old Norse uggr (“fear, apprehension, dread”), related to Old Norse ógn (“terror, threat, dispute”) and agi (“terror, strife, fear, punishment”). More at awe. 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.
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