uh-huh

/ʌˈhʌ/

//ʌˈhʌ// particle

"uh-huh" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“uh-huh” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a particle. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Yes; yeah.

Corpus desk

Index EN-uh-huh · uh-huh · English

uh-huh · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "U" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for uh-huh
PropertyValue
Headworduh-huh
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechParticle
IPA/ʌˈhʌ/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “uh-huh” in English

uh-huhranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

uh-huh is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aparticle, transcribed /ʌˈhʌ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Yes; yeah.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for uh-huh, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Imitative of non-verbal sounds used to indicate agreement or to allow the speaker to continue talking. Compare synonymous mhm. The correct English form is uh-huh, spelled U-H---H-U-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Yes; yeah.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. "So? Lived there long?" "Uh-huh, I--" began Mr. Wrenn.

Etymology

Imitative of non-verbal sounds used to indicate agreement or to allow the speaker to continue talking. Compare synonymous mhm.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "uh-huh"?
"uh-huh" is spelled U-H---H-U-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌˈhʌ/.
What does "uh-huh" mean?
As a particle, "uh-huh" means: Yes; yeah.
How do you pronounce "uh-huh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "uh-huh" is /ʌˈhʌ/. 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 "uh-huh"?
Imitative of non-verbal sounds used to indicate agreement or to allow the speaker to continue talking. Compare synonymous mhm. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list