DictionaryAI

huh

interjection
HUH/hʌ/

7 meanings of huh

Practice

  1. 1
    wanting agreementinterjectioncolloquial
    Added at the end of a statement or question to ask for agreement or to press for an answer.

    Pretty good movie in the end, huh?

    You two have known each other for years, huh?

    UsageIn writing, put a comma before huh: Good movie, huh?

    Similareh, right

  2. 2
    puzzledinterjection
    Said when you are confused by something, or did not hear or understand it and want it repeated.

    Huh? None of these instructions match what's actually on the screen.

    Huh? Sorry, the music was so loud that I missed what you just said.

    UsageSaid with a rising tone: Huh? It can sound blunt; Sorry? or Pardon? is more polite.

    Similarwhat, eh

    Note

    A rising pitch usually marks this puzzled huh, while the amused "huh" tends to fall, though context does as much as pitch to tell them apart. The word is old for so casual a sound. It is recorded from around 1600, and Dutch has a close match in hè.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

  3. 3
    mild surpriseinterjection
    Said to express mild amusement or quiet surprise at something noticed.

    Huh, this little café has been here for forty years and I never noticed.

    Huh, turns out my grandfather wrote songs back in his twenties.

    UsageOften said with a falling tone. In writing, a comma can follow it: Huh, I never knew that.

    Similarhmm, well, gosh

  4. 4
    interjectionslang
    Said either to belittle a person's statement, or, with feigned surprise, to agree sarcastically that what they said is a huge understatement.

    Huh. And you thought nobody would notice the missing money?

    When he solemnly announced that exams can be stressful, she just said "Huh!" with mock surprise.

    UsageEverything rests on tone, so it is safest among people who know you.

    Similarha

    Note

    A slang reply that depends entirely on delivery, with both meanings said at a falling pitch. Said flatly, with implied dullness, it belittles the speaker, as in a deadpan answer to the idea of a trip to an amusement park. Said with feigned surprise, it mocks a statement too obvious to need saying, such as "Murder is bad."

  5. 5
    chuckleinterjectiononomatopoeic
    A written representation of a short, low chuckling sound.

    Huh, huh, the old man laughed quietly to himself in the corner.

    He gave a quiet chuckle, "huh, huh," when he saw the cartoon his daughter had drawn of him.

    Similarheh

    Note

    The laughing huh is soft and low, and writers often join the series with hyphens. Meg Howrey's The Wanderers (2017) has Helen laughing "properly now. Huh-huh-huh." Katherine Knorr, writing in The New York Times in 2010, hedges that Lambert Wilson's chuckle sounds "a bit like huh huh huh." Her phrasing is a reminder that the spelling only approximates the sound.

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • Meg Howrey wrote The Wanderers, published in 2017. penguinrandomhouse.com
    • The novel describes Helen laughing with the quoted wording. en.wiktionary.org
    • Katherine Knorr's 2010 New York Times article describes Lambert Wilson's chuckle using the quoted approximation. en.wiktionary.org

Less common meanings

  1. 6
    heavy breathinginterjectiononomatopoeic
    A written representation of the sound of heavy breathing.

    Huh, huh, the runner gasped as he crossed the finish line.

    Huh... huh... came the labored breaths from the climber near the summit.

    Note

    Breath in print is usually counted out: huh, huh, huh, one syllable for each puff. Donald McCaig's The Butte Polka (1980) describes a runner's voice "coming in little puffs, huh, huh, huh." Robert Purchese's "Seeing Red: The story of CD Projekt" (2013) quotes Marcin Iwiński using huh huh huh for stair-climbers, with [panting] added to make the sound clear. The same spelling also serves for a chuckle, so context must say which is meant.

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

    • Donald McCaig wrote The Butte Polka, first published in 1980. openlibrary.org
    • The novel describes a running person's voice with the quoted wording. en.wiktionary.org
    • The article was first published in November 2013; 15 May 2019 is its update date. web.archive.org
    • Purchese quotes Marcin Iwiński imitating people panting after climbing stairs, with the annotation [panting]. web.archive.org
  2. 7
    interjection
    A sharp shout given as a punch or kick is thrown, used in martial arts.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of huh apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Attested from around 1600, and comparable to Dutch "hè" ("huh").

Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts