yuk

/jʌk/

//jʌk// intj

"yuk" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“yuk” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #41,484 in English word frequency and used as an interjection.

#41,484
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An exuberant laugh.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

yuk vs yup
67% similar
yuk vs yum
67% similar
yuk vs Yun
33% similar

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

Key facts for yuk
PropertyValue
Headwordyuk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/jʌk/
Letters3
Frequency rank#41,484
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “yuk” 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). yuk lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for yuk is 3 letters long, classified as an interjection, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /jʌk/. Corpus data places it at rank #41,484 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "An exuberant laugh.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for yuk in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "yup", "yum", "Yun", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Imitative, similar to the variant yuck. The correct English form is yuk, spelled Y-U-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    An exuberant laugh.

Etymology

Imitative, similar to the variant yuck.

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 "yuk"?
"yuk" is spelled Y-U-K. The IPA pronunciation is /jʌk/.
What does "yuk" mean?
As an interjection, "yuk" means: An exuberant laugh.
What words are commonly confused with "yuk"?
"yuk" is commonly confused with "yup", "yum", "Yun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "yuk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "yuk" is /jʌk/. 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 "yuk"?
Imitative, similar to the variant yuck. 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.

Using “yuk”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is Y-U-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /jʌk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “yup” - see the side-by-side comparison. yuk vs yup
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list