uh
/ʌː/interjection, noun, article
uh is spelled U-H: 2 letters and one syllable. It appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an interjection, uh means “Expression of thought, confusion, or uncertainty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in uh?
| Letters | 2: U-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 18 times per million words; the 4,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is uh?
Uh appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,589th 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 uh?
- /ʌː/
- /ə/
As a noun (“Alternative form of a (“The fourth semiquaver (sixteenth…”): /ˈʌ/.
Uh 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-uh.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with uh
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of uh
- uhs plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does uh mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
interjection
- 1
Expression of thought, confusion, or uncertainty.
Uh, who was that?
- 2
Expression of discomfort or reservation; a hesitation preceding awkward information or innuendo.
He's receiving some, uh, special attention from the manager.
- 3
Space filler or pause during conversation.
Uh, let me see...
noun
- 1
An occurrence of the interjection "uh".
- 2
informalAlternative form of a (“The fourth semiquaver (sixteenth note) of a beat”).
article
- 1
colloquialPronunciation spelling of a
Gimme uh dollar.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Uh in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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.
Where does uh come from?
Onomatopoeia of the natural expression of thought. Compare with er.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).