um

/ʌm/

//ʌm// intj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"um" is a 2-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“um” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #5,846) as an interjection. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#5,846
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Expression of hesitation, uncertainty or space filler in conversation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-um · um · English

um · rank #5,846 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,846
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH theft

Nearest frequency peer: theft (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “um”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

um vs up
50% similar
um vs us
50% similar
um vs ur
50% similar

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

Key facts for um
PropertyValue
Headwordum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/ʌm/
Letters2
Frequency rank#5,846
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “um” 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).umlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “theft” (#5,845), “surgeon” (#5,844), “valve” (#5,848). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for um is neighbouring look-alikes ("up", "us", …), not just typos; it is aninterjection pronounced /ʌm/. Frequency #5,846 among 1,433 “U” headwords. 4 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for um, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "up", "us", "ur", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Onomatopoeic. The correct English form is um, spelled U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Expression of hesitation, uncertainty or space filler in conversation.
  2. 2
    Dated spelling of mmm.
  3. 3
    An expression to forcefully call attention to something wrong.
  4. 4
    An expression of shocked disapproval used by a child who witnesses forbidden behavior.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Um, I don’t know.
  2. Let’s see... um... how about this?

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "um"?
"um" is spelled U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌm/.
What does "um" mean?
As an interjection, "um" means: Expression of hesitation, uncertainty or space filler in conversation.
What words are commonly confused with "um"?
"um" is commonly confused with "up", "us", "ur". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "um"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "um" is /ʌm/. 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 "um"?
Onomatopoeic. 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.

What to do next

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

  • "um" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "up". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #5,846 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list