Word Confusion: Huh, What’s That You Say?

Posted November 28, 2012 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of 11 April 2021

I had no real reason for this exploration. It’s mostly because it cropped up with uh, and it made sense to include it, especially since writers do tend to screw up on these types of exclamations.

So you may want to explore “Uh versus Um” and “‘Em, ‘Er, ‘Im…“.

Word Confusions…

…started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.

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Huh
Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com
Part of Grammar:
Exclamation

Also see uh-huh

Used to express scorn, anger, disbelief, surprise, or amusement

  • Used in questions to invite agreement or further comment or to express a lack of understanding
Examples:
“Huh,” she snorted, “Over my dead body!”

Huh, she said that, did she?

That was pretty scary, huh?

History of the Word:
First recorded in English in the early 17th century.

C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them…and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Pinterest Photo Credits

Huh…?!? Bernard Dehydrated Water Product, <https://visualhunt.com/f2/photo/2691558545/728150acb4/>, by EraPhernalia Vintage . . . [”playin’ hook-y”] ;o, <https://visualhunt.com/author/8d242b>, is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via VisualHunt.

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