ugh

Name: ugh, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ʌɣ/

//ʌɣ// intj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“ugh” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #4,993) as an interjection. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#4,993
frequency rank, English: 1,433
“U” headwords: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used to express repugnance, disgust, or annoyance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ugh · ugh · English

ugh · rank #4,993 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

FREQ-COMMON #4,993
LEN-MID 3 letters
VOW-1 1 vowel
CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
VAR-0 0 variants
BOOK-MID 1,433
PHOTO-FINISH twist

Nearest frequency peer: twist (-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.

touching

95,011
transactions

95,010
twist

95,009
ugh

95,008
unemployment

95,007
unity

95,006

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ugh vs up

33% similar

ugh vs us

33% similar

ugh vs UK

0% similar

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

Key facts for ugh
Property	Value
Headword	ugh
Language	English
Part of speech	Interjection
IPA	/ʌɣ/
Letters	3
Frequency rank	#4,993
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ugh” 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). ugh lands here:

#4,993

#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 ugh is neighbouring look-alikes ("up", "us", …), not just typos; it is aninterjection pronounced /ʌɣ/. Frequency #4,993 among 1,433 “U” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

ugh doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "up", "us", "UK", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is ugh, spelled U-G-H.

Definition

1
Used to express repugnance, disgust, or annoyance.
2
Used to express inarticulate vocalisations, such as used by a caveman.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Ugh! The bread in the pantry has gone moldy.
[...] It may have been a water-rat I speared, / But, ugh! it sounded like a baby's shriek.

This word in other languages

puf(Español)beurk(Français)igitt(Deutsch)

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 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ugh"?

"ugh" is spelled U-G-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌɣ/.

What does "ugh" mean?

As an interjection, "ugh" means: Used to express repugnance, disgust, or annoyance.

What words are commonly confused with "ugh"?

"ugh" 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 "ugh"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ugh" is /ʌɣ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "ugh" come from?

"ugh" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.

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 "ugh", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

WTF#5,000 sue#4,985 arc#5,005 Ron#4,978

What to do next

You've looked up "ugh". Here's where to go from here.

"ugh" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "up". View pair
Usage frequency rank #4,993 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
Browse more English words in the "U" letter cohort. U–Z browse
PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.