Blog Post

Aah — drawn out sound of pleasure, relief, or relaxation; the plural is often paired with ooh for an exclamation of wonder or surprise (oohs and aahs).

Ack — communicates disgust or dismissal.

Ah — can denote positive emotions like relief or delight (generally, pronounced with a long a).

Ah — placeholder signifying hesitation, confusion, ignorance, or even guilt, often indicating that the speaker is thinking frantically; variations are er, uh, and um; also an interjection signifying understanding (Ah, I get it).

Aha — exclamation of discovery or realization, signals triumph or surprise, or perhaps derision.

Ahh — exclamation of surprise or fright; also a variant of aah used as a sound of pleasure, relief, or relaxation.

Ahem — is employed to gain attention.

Argh — exclamation of frustration, comparable to rats or drat; sometimes used for a pirate's exclamation, often drawn out with additional h's, is all about frustration.

Arrr — pirate's sound of agreement; pirate's exclamation.

Aw — mild exclamation of protest, disappointment, or entreaty, can be dismissive or indicative of disappointment, or, when drawn out, expressive of sympathy or adoration (Aw, I didn't mean it.).

Aww — exclamation over the cuteness of something.

Aye — denotes agreement.

Bah — old - fashioned exclamation of dismissal or contempt; compare to the contemporary word so (Bah, who cares? Bah! Humbug.

Beh — variation of bah.

Blah — communicates boredom or disappointment; or, an interjection used as filler (typically written three times) to show that either someone droned on about a topic or what had been said was predictable and/or commonplace and all parties now listening understand what was said without it being necessary to repeat what was said (And then she moaned about her husband. You know, blah blah blah.).

Blech — mild to medium exclamation of disgust, (or bleah or bleh) often implies nausea.

Blergh — an interjection of any combination of disgust, boredom, dissatisfaction, and other negative emotions; also blurgh and blargh; probably from a combination of bleh and argh and/or ugh.

Boo — is an exclamation to provoke fright.

Boo-hoo is imitative of crying and is derisive.

Boo-ya — (with several spelling variants) is a cry of triumph.

Bwah-hah-hah — a less common variant of mwahaha (variously spelled, including mwah-hah-hah, often bwah-ha-ha and bwahaha) facetiously mimics the stereotypical archvillain's triumphant laugh.

Criminy — mild swear word, somewhat old-fashioned; euphemism for Christ

D'oh is the spelling for the muttering accompanying Homer Simpson's trademark head-slapping self-abuse.

Duh — exclamation of exasperation or disdain over the explanation of something obvious, derides someone who seems dense.

Eek — indicates an unpleasant surprise.

Eh — mild exclamation of unconcern or indifference (Eh, who cares.); solicitation to repeat something (Eh, what was that?); question tag (You heard about it, eh?) with a question mark, is a request for repetition or confirmation of what was just said; without, it is dismissive.

Er — placeholder signifying hesitation, confusion, ignorance, or even guilt, often indicating that the speaker is thinking frantically; may be followed by an ellipsis (Er . . . I'm not sure.); variations are ah, um, and uh, (sometimes erm) plays for time.

Ew — exclamation denotes of disgust, typically over something nasty; can be made more dramatic by addition of one or more e's and/or w's (Ewww, that's foul. Eeew, that stinks.)

Erm — variation of er (I've heard this used by kids, and being one, but not as an adult.)

Feh (and its cousin meh) is an indication of feeling underwhelmed or disappointed.

Gak is an expression of disgust or distaste.

Geez — exclamation of exasperation; a mild oath to be used in place of Jesus; also sheesh.

Ha expresses joy or surprise, or perhaps triumph.

Ha - ha (with possible redoubling) communicates laughter or derision.

Hamana-hamana — variously spelled, and duplicated as needed, implies speechless embarrassment.

Hardy-har-har, or har-har — repeated as needed, communicates mock amusement.

Hee-hee — is a mischievous laugh, while its variants heh and heh - heh (and so on) can have a more derisive connotation.

Hey – can express surprise or exultation, or can be used to request repetition or call for attention.

Hist – signals the desire for silence.

Hm – extended as needed, suggests curiosity, confusion, consternation, or skepticism.

Hmm – placeholder interjection signifying that the speaker is thinking or considering a response to what has been said

Hmph – (also hrmph or humph) indicates displeasure or indignation.

Ho-ho – is expressive of mirth, or (along with its variant oh - ho) can indicate triumph of discovery.

Ho-hum – signals indifference or boredom.

Hooyah — U.S. Navy sound of agreement or affirmation; battle cry

Hooah — U.S. Army sound of agreement or affirmation; battle cry; [pronounced hua, accent on hoo]

Hubba-hubba – is the vocal equivalent of a leer.

Huh – (or hunh) is a sign of disbelief, confusion, or surprise, or, with a question mark, is a request for repetition.

Hup – from the sound - off a military cadence chant, signals beginning an exerting task.

Huh — interjection used to signify a dawning revelation or admittance of ignorance over a piece of information (Huh, is that so.); also used as a question tag to solicit agreement (I guess this means we're leaving now, huh?)

Humph — mild exclamation of disagreement or reluctant agreement; also exclamation of displeasure; variations include hmph, hrmph, harumph, harumpf, harrumph; old - fashioned and often put in the mouths of elderly men and crotchety women

Hurrah – (also hoorah, hooray, and hurray, and even huzzah) is an exclamation of triumph or happiness.

Hrmph, hmph, harumph, harumpf, harrumph — variations of humph.

Ick — exclamation of disgust; also yuck.

Lah-de-dah – denotes nonchalance or dismissal, or derision about pretension.

Meh — old-fashioned mild interjection of dismissal or indifference, much like beh.

Mm-hmm — murmur of agreement that may also indicate inattention; much like uh-huh.

Mm-hmm — variously spelled, is an affirmative or corroborating response.

Mmm — murmur of pleasure, extended as needed, conveys palatable or palpable pleasure.

Mwah — is suggestive of a kiss, often implying unctuous or exaggerated affection.

Mwahaha — mock-sinister laugh, often used for a villain; also mwah - ha - ha; variant is bwahaha

Nah — informal no; opposite of yeah; [pronounced two ways: like the n-a or the n-o in not rather than as nay]

Nuh-uh — childish argumentative no; opposite of yuh-huh; [stress on-uh]

Neener-neener – often uttered in a series of three repetitions, is a taunt.

Now – (often repeated "Now, now") is uttered as an admonition.

Oh — is among the most versatile of interjections. A word signifying comprehension or surprise (often overused in dialogue); can be drawn out by repeating letters (Ohhh, it's so beautiful.); [pronounced like the letter o]. Use it to indicate comprehension or acknowledgment (or, with a question mark, a request for verification), to preface direct address ("Oh, sir!"), as a sign of approximation or example ("Oh, about three days"), or to express emotion or serves as a response to a pain or pleasure. (Ooh is a variant useful for the last two purposes.)

Oh-oh — (or alternatives in which oh is followed by various words) is a warning response to something that will have negative repercussions.

Olé, — with an accent mark over the e, is borrowed from Spanish and is a vocal flourish to celebrate a deft or adroit maneuver.

Oof — like oomph, often comic or exaggerated sound of breath being knocked from someone from a blow to the belly; [a short sound, usually not changed by adding letters]

Ooh — exclamation of wonder or surprise; often paired with aah (oohs and aahs); [rhymes with Sue and dew], with o's repeated as needed, conveys interest or admiration, or, alternatively, disdain.

Oomph — sound of exhalation of breath, often after a collision (may be comic)

Ooh-la-la – is a response to an attempt to impress or gently mocks pretension or finery.

Oorah — U.S. Marine sound of agreement or affirmation; battle cry

Oops — (and the jocular diminutive variation oopsie or oopsy and the variant whoops) calls attention to an error or fault.

Ouch — (or ow, extended as needed) signals pain or is a response to a harsh word or action.

Ow — exclamation of pain

Oy — part of Yiddish expressions such as oy gevalt (equivalent to "Uh-oh"), is a lament of frustration, concern, or self-pity.

Pff, or phfft — old-fashioned sound of dismissal or unconcern (not common in contemporary fiction); also phfft, extended as needed, expresses disappointment, disdain, or annoyance, communicates abrupt ending or departure or is a sardonic dismissal, akin to pfft.

Phew — or pew, communicates disgust, fatigue, or relief, often used humorously in contemporary fiction. (Phooey, also spelled pfui, is a signal for disgust, too, and can denote dismissal as well. PU and P.U. are also variants.)

Phooey — mild interjection used to show disagreement or disbelief; also a mild curse word akin to darn or drat, but more genteel.

Poof — is imitative of a sudden disappearance, as if by magic.

Pooh — is a contemptuous exclamation.

Pshaw — an old-fashioned exclamation of contempt or disagreement (not common in contemporary fiction except in historicals and as deliberate reference to its use in the past); [the p is pronounced]. Denotes disbelief, disapproval, or irritation or, alternatively, communicates facetious self-consciousness.

Psst — (usually) quiet interjection used to gain the attention of someone else, or calls for quiet

Rah — perhaps repeated, signals triumph.

Sheesh — exclamation of exasperation; a mild oath used in place of Jesus; also geez.

Shh or shhh — (extended as necessary) is an imperative command for silence and to keep quiet, often accompanied by finger to lips.

Shssh — variation of shhh.

Shush — command to keep quiet, a combination of shh and hush; more a true word than a sound.

Sis boom bah — is an outdated encouraging cry, most likely to be used mockingly now.

Ta-da — exclamation to express success or to point attention at something.

Tchah communicates annoyance.

Tsk-tsk and its even snootier variant tut-tut are condemnations or scoldings; the related sound tch is the teeth-and-tongue click of disapproval.

Ugh — is an exclamation of disgust.

Uh — placeholder signifying hesitation, confusion, ignorance, or even guilt, often indicating that the speaker is thinking frantically; may be followed by an ellipsis (Uh, I think it's that one. Uh . . . I'm not sure that what you're saying is true.); variations are ah, er, and um.

Uh, uh, uh — command, often to young children, to stop doing something (Uh, uh, uh, don't touch that.)

Uh-huh — interjection signifying understanding and sometimes, but not always, agreement (use it to show someone is saying they understand what is being said even though they might not agree with what is said); informal yes; also uh - huh.

Uh-oh — exclamation of dismay or anticipation of something bad happening; used often by young children; also uh - oh.

Uh-uh — informal no; also uh - uh and unh – unh, is the sound of negation or refusal.

Um — is a placeholder signifying hesitation, confusion, ignorance, or even guilt and skepticism, often indicating that the speaker is thinking frantically; variations are ah, er, and uh; often repeated as um, um, um (Um, um, um, I'm thinking) and stretched out as ummm.

Ugh — exclamation of mild disgust

Unh-unh — informal no; variant of uh uh and uh-uh

Va-va-voom — is an old-fashioned exclamation denoting admiration of physical attractiveness.

Whee — is an exclamation of excitement or delight.

Whew — is a variant of phew but can also express amazement.

Whoa — is a call to halt or an exclamation of shock or surprise or relief (not woah).

Whoop-de-doo — and its many variants convey mocking reaction to something meant to impress.

Woo and woo-hoo — (and variations like yahoo, yee-haw, and yippee) indicate excitement. (Woot, also spelled w00t among an online in-crowd, is a probably ephemeral variant.)

Wow — expresses surprise.

Yaaaaaaa-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey! — the infamous Disney Goofy cry.

Yay — is a congratulatory exclamation of triumph or victory (Yay, we won!) (Not to be confused with yeah, a variant of yes.)

Yea — yes; used in the context of a spoken vote; rhymes with and is often paired with nay.

Yeah — contemporary informal yes; opposite of nah (Yeah, I get it.); [does not rhyme with nay, and I freely admit I don't know how to explain how this one sounds — how about a link to Merriam - Webster, which has a decent recording of the word?]

Yech — variation of yuck, an exclamation of disgust.

Yeow — exclamation of pain, shock, or surprise; also yow.

Yikes — is an expression of (negative) surprise or shock.

Yow — variation of yeow, an exclamation of pain, shock, or surprise.

Yo-ho-ho — is the traditional pirates' refrain.

Yoo-hoo — attracts attention.

Yow, or yowza — is an exclamation of pleasure or pleased surprise or a pleasant shock or conveys being impressed.

Yuck — (also spelled yech or yecch, also ick) signals disgust. (Not to be confused with yuk, a laugh.)

Yuh-huh — argumentative or insistent childish yes; [accent on huh]; opposite of nuh-uh.

Yum, or yummy — is a response to the taste of something delicious and, by extension, the sight of an attractive person.

Zoinks — is an expression of surprise or amazement popularized by the cartoon character Shaggy, of Scooby Doo fame.

Zowie — often in combination following wowie, a variant of wow, expresses admiration or astonishment.

Bibliography

Space Battles Forum | List of Comic Book Exclamations