uh-uh
[ˈ(ʔ)ʌ̃˧.ʔʌ̃˩]
"uh-uh" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“uh-uh” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an interjection. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - no
Corpus desk
Index EN-uh-uh · uh-uh · English
uh-uh · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MID 5 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | uh-uh |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Interjection |
| IPA | [ˈ(ʔ)ʌ̃˧.ʔʌ̃˩] |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “uh-uh” in English
Rare enough to double-check
uh-uh is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aninterjection, transcribed [ˈ(ʔ)ʌ̃˧.ʔʌ̃˩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "no".
Zero misspellings are on record for uh-uh in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Likely imitative of non-verbal sounds used to indicate disagreement or discomfort. Compare nope, wherein the -p may represent closure often uttered at the end of the word no. Compare also um used to indicate hesitation. Attested from 1888. The correct English form is uh-uh, spelled U-H---U-H.
Definition
- 1no
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how uh-uh appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"Have you eaten yet?" "Uh-uh..." "No way!"
Etymology
Likely imitative of non-verbal sounds used to indicate disagreement or discomfort. Compare nope, wherein the -p may represent closure often uttered at the end of the word no. Compare also um used to indicate hesitation. Attested from 1888.
Antonyms
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.