ugh
/ʌɣ/interjection
ugh is spelled U-G-H: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,934th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an interjection, ugh means “Used to express repugnance, disgust, or annoyance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ugh?
| Letters | 3: U-G-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,934th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ugh?
Ugh appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,934th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ugh?
- /ʌɣ/
- /ʌ(ɡ)/
- /ʌx/
Ugh has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ugh.ogg, En-us-ugh-2.ogg, En-us-ugh-3.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with ugh
Also written: eugh.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with ugh?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as ugh.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: hug.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
What does ugh mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
interjection
- 1
Used to express repugnance, disgust, or annoyance.
Ugh! The bread in the pantry has gone moldy.
- 2
Used to express inarticulate vocalisations, such as used by a caveman.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ugh in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to express disgust:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.