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Ouch vs Ough - What's the difference?

ouch | ough |

As interjections the difference between ouch and ough

is that ouch is an expression of one's own physical pain while ough is the sound of a grunt or groan or cough.

As a noun ouch

is alternative form of lang=en.

ouch

English

Etymology 1

Interjection

(en interjection)
  • An expression of one's own physical pain.
  • Ouch ! You stepped on my toe! That hurt!
  • An expression in sympathy at another's pain.
  • Ouch ! Her sunburn looks awful.
  • A reply to an insult (frequently one that is tongue-in-cheek or joking).
  • Ouch . How could you say that?
  • An expression of disappointment.
  • Ouch , I really wanted to do that.
  • (slang) Expressing surprise at the high price of something.
  • ''Ouch , one hundred thousand dollars for a car! I could never afford that!
    Synonyms
    * (in all of the above senses) ow, owie, youch, yow, yowch

    Etymology 2

    Variant forms.

    ough

    English

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • The sound of a grunt or groan or cough
  • *{{quote-book, year=1856, author=John Esten Cooke, title=The Last of the Foresters, chapter=, edition= citation
  • , passage="Ough! ough'! ' ough !" groaned the old woman; "he wants to go, away from the nest where he was warmed, and nursed, and brought up. }}
  • *{{quote-book, year=1874, author=H. S. Caswell, title=The Path of Duty, and Other Stories, chapter=, edition= citation
  • , passage=We strove to extort from him the cause of this ebullition of passion, but he only shook his head in reply to our questions, and uttered a guttural "ough ." }}