Here is our list of interjection words that you can add to your writing.
In conversations, we almost always use interjections to express ideas. In spoken English, interjections are some of the most frequently used words. Use the interjections below when writing dialogue in your creative writing pieces.
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What Are Interjection Words?
Interjection words express emotions rather than meanings, grammatically independent of words around them. Depending on your message or emotion, you can use interjections in the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. You might also find our writing tips for dialogue helpful.
Below is a list of the interjections you should know and add to your writing:
| Ack | Ha | Psst |
| Awesome | Ha-ha | Sheesh |
| Ah | Heavens | Shh |
| Aha | Hey | Sweet |
| Ahem | Hist | Ta-da |
| All right | Hm | Tsk tsk |
| Aww | Hmph | Ugh |
| Bah | Holy cow | Uh-huh |
| Boo hoo | Huh | Um |
| Boo-yah | Huzzah | Yuck |
| Bummer | Ick | Well |
| Dang | Indeed | Whatever |
| Drats | Meh | Whee |
| Duh | Mmm | Whoa |
| Eep | Nice | Whoopee |
| Egads | No way | Wicked |
| Eh | Nope | Woo |
| Er | Now | Wow |
| Ew | Oh boy | Wowie |
| Phooey | Oh brother | Yay |
| Finally | Oh my god | Yee-haw |
| Gee | Oof | Yes |
| Geez | Ooh | Yikes |
| Golly | Pfft | Yippee |
| Good | Phew | You don’t say |
| Gosh |
Do you wonder if it’s right to put a comma before “and” and “or”? Check out our guide for what is a serial comma and know the answer.
Primary Interjection Words
Primary interjection words only function as interjectors with specific uses. They stand alone and can change a sentence’s meaning. Like all interjections, they are rarely used in formal or academic writing.
- Gee
“Gee, Mrs. Sphinx. We didn’t know you lived in a mansion.”
- Gosh
“Gosh, I’m sorry about spilling your drink, Dana.”
- Aha
“Aha! I’ve got you now, you slippery snake!”
- Huzzah
The boys saw their teammates make it to the victory platform, Huzzah!
- Meh
“Meh, we never thought he would make it into that fancy academy anyway.”
- Pfft
“Pfft. Don’t tell me you don’t know how to cook an egg!”
- Geez
“James is brilliant, but he doesn’t need to be so arrogant about it. Geez.”
- Oof
“Oof. Sarah didn’t do that jump right, did she? That looks like it hurt.”
- Um
The lady stopped by the doorway and meekly mumbled, “Um, is this the physics laboratory?”
- Mmm
Whenever my mom cooked something aromatic, my dad would always stop by and say, “Mmm, smells good, darling.”
- Hm
“Hm,” the detective hummed, looking at the files before her, fingers tapping the table.
- Ack
“Ack! The horse stepped on Jamie’s phone when it fell from her pocket.”
- Psst
“Psst. Get in here if you want to hide from those bullies.”
- Uh-huh
“Uh-huh. That’s right; we’re both from the same classes.”
- Er
“Er,” Harry said, unsure whether the cat was speaking to him or he just heard things.
- Phew
The team finally made it to the finish line. Phew!
- Tsk, tsk
“You kids didn’t think you’d get away with stealing my bike, did you? Tsk, tsk.”
- Ah
“Ah! I remember the last place I saw your wallet. It was on the dashboard.”
- Phooey
“Phooey! To hell with your vows, promises, and oaths. You are a liar!”
- Ahem
“Ahem. Bernie and I are trying to work if you haven’t noticed.”
- Shh
“Guys, shh! They’re having some kind of rap battle over there, listen.”
- Hist
“Hist! You will never catch me, Rasta Man!” said the woman clad in a snake costume as she ran down the convention hall.
- Eh
“You wanted to know how Canadians like me speak, eh?” Check out this list of essay words.
Surprise Interjection Words
As the name suggests, these interjections express surprise or astonishment. You can couple them with a sentence to demonstrate what you mean, include context, or use only the interjection words to communicate your surprise or shock.
- Whoa
The wide-eyed kids with their hanging jaws exclaimed “whoa” in unison during the climax of the acrobatics show.
- Wow
“Felix said you could bake, but wow! This angel cake is on a whole new level!”
- Wowie
“Wowie! My grandkids will enjoy coming over when I buy this house with the built-in indoor slide.”
- Hey
“Hey, you didn’t tell me we were jumping off the plane, too!”
- Golly
The older woman turned around and jumped. “Golly, I didn’t see you there, dear,” she said.
- Eep
“My all-time favorite singer-songwriter Taylor Swift will tour the Philippines next! Eep!”
- Yikes
Athena shook her head at the sight of Eris. “Yikes. I don’t know how she thought those shoes matched that dress,” she whispered to Hera.
- Huh
“Huh. Who would’ve thought that the slowest runner in school would one day become an Olympic representative?”
- Ha
“You never expected me to make it into law school and become a lawyer, did you? Ha, the joke’s on you!”
- Now
“Now, I knew you’d be angry at the sight of the house, but I didn’t expect you to be this angry.”
Secondary or Borrowed Interjection Words
English speakers or writers use these words as interjections, despite already having a different meaning or part of speech. These words can be nouns, adjectives, creative phrases, and others used to express intense emotions.
- Holy cow
“Holy cow! That burger was so delicious!”
- Bummer
“We’re sorry that you didn’t make it to the finals. Bummer.”
- Sweet
“So this office has a hot shower for employees who work out at the gym next door? Sweet.”
- Oh boy
“He’s Carl’s archenemy since his elementary days. Oh boy. It will be a long day for all of us.”
- Oh my god
The woman shouted, “Oh my god, he’s going to jump off the building!”
- All right
“All right! I’ll do the dishes, wash the laundry, and clean my room before Saturday.”
- Awesome
“You’ll take over for me tonight so I can take my wife out on our anniversary? Awesome.”
- You don’t say
“So you’re new here? You don’t say…” he murmured and rolled his eyes.
- Whatever
“They won’t let pets into the restaurant. Whatever. We were planning on eating at the diner across the street anyway.”
- Heavens
“Heavens! When did we get a ten-foot-tall rubber duck in the bathroom?”
- Nice
“Are you saying that many readers and critics nominated my book for the National Book Award? Nice.”
- Finally
“Finally, after decades of observation, we now have an image of the Sagittarius A*.”
- Well
“Well, if it isn’t my soon-to-be-wed foe.”
- Oh brother
“Oh brother, here we go again!” the exhausted police officer sighed.
- Nope
“No one is going close to the spider exhibit at all. I forbid it. Nope.”
- Wicked
“Man, did you see how the girl twirled when she threw the baseball? Wicked.”
- No way
The boy exclaimed with wide eyes, “No way! You didn’t tell me you had a rugged-looking motorbike.”
- Indeed
“Indeed, it is pointless to argue with those who won’t listen.”
Negative Interjection Words
These interjections may denote negative thoughts or emotions when used. They can be feelings of disgust, disappointment, discontentment, repulsion, dismissal, and more.
- Ick
“Ick, I don’t like the feeling of wet sand at all.”
- Ew
“Did you really kiss that toad, thinking it’ll turn into a prince? Ew, that’s nasty.”
- Ugh
“Ugh, here comes that couple and their insufferable brats again.”
- Yuck
“Yuck, I can’t stand the smell of that candle!” the woman exclaimed.
- Bah
“Do you know the origin of the phrase “bah, humbug”?”
- Drats
“Drats, foiled again by those meddling youths for the third time.”
- Dang
“Dang. I should’ve known you’d use such underhanded tactics to get the gold!”
- Egads
“Egads! You won’t believe it, but I won the lottery,” my father shouted.
- Hmph
“Hmph. Those boys will never move an inch, and neither are we.”
- Sheesh
“Sheesh, you need to relax because the veins on your temples look like they’re about to pop.”
- Boo hoo
“Boo hoo, big deal. Those so-called experts didn’t even check how far we got before they stopped the race.”
- Duh
“You can’t put hot soup in the refrigerator and expect your appliance to last long or your soup to taste good. Duh.”
Check out our guide on contraction words.
Positive Interjection Words
These interjection words have a positive connotation: excitement, agreement, and others. Using them denotes and further increases the positive emotions one is feeling.
- Yee-haw
“Yee-haw, it is time to party!” the DJ boomed through the microphone.
- Yay
“Yay! The new batch of high-grade coffee beans arrived in time for our sleepover.”
- Woo
“Woo, time to go home for the weekend; I can’t wait”
- Whoopee
The boys and girls screamed, “Whoopee! Spiderman is going to visit our school.”
- Whee
Janette was excited about her trip to Paris; she exclaimed, “Whee! Time to board the plane!”
- Yippee
The kids heard their parents talking about visiting Disneyland. Upon receiving the official news, they all screamed, “Yippee! Let’s go!”
- Yes
“Yes! I was lucky enough to win the lottery with over a million dollars in the pot.”
- Good
“Did you challenge my authority just now? Good. That’s a mark of a true leader starting to show.”
- Ha-ha
“I love fun chasing games, especially ones like hide and go seek. Ha-ha,” he mocked in his not-so-funny Mickey Mouse voice.
- Ooh
“Ooh. You didn’t tell me you were housing a litter of cute kittens.”
- Boo-yah
That guy yells, “Boo-yah! I win! I win!” whenever he cheats and wins tournaments against kids.
- Ta-da
“Ta-da! You’ve got everything you need at home for a peaceful night by the fire!”
- Aww
“Aww! Those baby cats are just so cute!”
Do you need to analyze and evaluate a book? See our guide on how to write a book review.
