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ahh

ahh

24 7.9
A short cry people make when they feel sudden pain or shock
  • interjection
  • /ɑː/
translation icon : ay
  • Ahh! That really hurts when I hit my knee.
  • ahh—Ow
  • ahh! Oh

Examples

Synonyms

oh
vsahh
1.0

Show a sudden feeling like surprise or understanding

is narrower, focusing on sudden pain or discomfort rather than broad emotion
ah
vsahh
1.0

A short sound people make to show surprise, relief, or pleasure

is mainly used for sudden pain discomfort or surprised reaction
whoa
vsahh
  • Informal
7.2

To say when surprised or when you want someone to stop suddenly

is used instead for sudden pain or shock rather than stopping action
aah
vsahh
  • Informal
932 6.9

A sound people say to show surprise, relief, or pleasure

is sharper, focusing on sudden pain or discomfort rather than relief
ugh
vsahh
  • Informal
282 7.9

A short sound people make to show disgust or annoyance

is used more for sudden pain or shocked surprise rather than disgust
ouch
vsahh
  • Informal
134 2.8

A short cry people make when they feel sudden physical or emotional pain

also covers sudden surprise in addition to pain
whew
vsahh
  • Informal
85 7.0

A short sound people make to show relief, surprise, or tiredness

is sharper, used for sudden pain or immediate surprise instead of relief
aha
vsahh
  • Informal
82 3.7

A short sound people make when they suddenly understand something

is used for sudden pain or surprise instead of insight or discovery
hah
vsahh
  • Informal
76 4.6

A short laugh showing surprise or small victory

is more for sudden pain or startled shock than amusement
argh
vsahh
  • Informal
67 8.8

A short cry people say when they feel frustrated or annoyed

is used more for immediate pain or sudden surprise than annoyance
aaah
vsahh
  • Informal
59 8.8

A short cry people make when they feel sudden pain, fear, or surprise

tends to be less about fear and more about pain or surprise
agh
vsahh
  • Informal
50 9.9

A short cry showing strong feelings such as annoyance or fear

is narrower, focusing more on sudden pain or simple surprise
aaaah
vsahh
  • Informal
30 7.5

A short loud sound people make to show strong feeling, like fear or surprise

is used more for sudden pain or mild surprise without strong emotion
holy shit
vsahh
  • Offensive
26 9.9

A strong phrase people say when they are very surprised or shocked

is milder, expressing sudden pain or surprise without coarse language
oww
vsahh
  • Informal
22 9.3

A short cry you make when something suddenly hurts

also applies to sudden surprise as well as immediate hurt
sheesh
vsahh
  • Slang
22 9.8

A short word people say to show surprise, admiration, or annoyance

is used more for sudden pain or surprised reaction rather than admiration
lordy
vsahh
  • Informal
17 9.4

A short informal cry showing surprise or strong feeling

is more physical, used for sudden pain or sharp discomfort
ooooh
vsahh
  • Informal
16 8.3

A short sound people say to show surprise or excitement

is more commonly for sudden pain or brief surprised exclamation
woah
vsahh
  • Informal
14 8.8

A short cry people use to show surprise or amazement

is more about sudden pain or physical discomfort than amazement
wah
vsahh
  • Informal
14 9.9

A short cry showing surprise or excitement

is used more for sudden pain or discomfort than admiration
yow
vsahh
  • Informal
13 9.9

A short cry said to show surprise, excitement, or sudden pain

leans more toward sudden pain or discomfort than excitement
gah
vsahh
  • Informal
13 9.9

A short sound people make when they feel frustrated, annoyed, or surprised

is used more for sudden pain or discomfort rather than frustration
ach
vsahh
7 9.9

A short sound people make to show surprise, pain, or annoyance

is focused more on sudden pain or shocked surprise
oooh
vsahh
  • Informal
7 9.1

A short sound people make when they feel a quick pain

is stronger, often used for sharper pain or bigger surprise
unh
vsahh
  • Informal
4 9.9

A short sound you make when you feel pain or are annoyed

is used more for sudden pain or surprise rather than lingering discomfort
aargh
vsahh
  • Informal
4 9.9

A short cry people make to show strong feelings like anger or pain

is less about anger and more about sudden pain or surprise
ohhhh
vsahh
  • Informal
3 8.4

A short sound people make when they suddenly understand something

is more often used for an immediate pain or brief surprise
whammo
vsahh
  • Informal
2 9.9

A short shout showing sudden surprise or strong impact

is more often used for unexpected pain or startled surprise from impact
oho
vsahh
  • Archaic
2 9.9

A short cry showing surprise or sudden understanding

is commonly used for immediate pain or abrupt surprised sounds
aaahh
vsahh
  • Informal
2 9.9

A short cry that shows fear, pain, or alarm

is used more calmly for sudden pain or surprise without screaming
oh my gosh
vsahh
  • Informal
2 7.0

To show surprise, shock or disbelief in a mild, polite way

is likely to show sudden pain or immediate discomfort rather than shock
aagh
vsahh
  • Informal
1 9.9

A short cry people make when they are suddenly scared

is used more for sudden pain or surprised reaction than pure fear
haaa
vsahh
  • Informal
1 9.7

A short sound made when you finally understand something

is used for sudden pain or surprised reaction, not insight
aiee
vsahh
  • Informal
1 9.9

A short cry showing surprise, pain, or fear

is used more for sudden pain or surprise without strong fear
augh
vsahh
  • Informal
9.9

A short cry showing sudden pain or hurt

also expresses sudden surprise as well as pain
oh my heck
vsahh
  • Informal
9.9

A short phrase people say when they feel surprised or do not believe something

is more direct, used for sudden pain or real discomfort

Compounds

goofy ahh
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who acts silly in a way that others find funny or annoying

Surface Forms

ahh main

Etymology

Ahh is the quick cry people make when they feel sudden pain or surprise. Like the short ah or ouch, it is a sharp sound that shows 'pain' or 'discomfort'.