Word Confusion: Aaah v. Ah v. Aha v. Ahhh

Posted March 26, 2015 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
16 June 2023

Pinterest pin for Aaah vs Ah vs Aha vs Ahhh

Well, this is embarrassing… I’ve always done the ahhh version . . .

Who knew I didn’t know how to moan properly, ahem, in text anyway . . . *grin* . . .

The difference between aaah, ah, and aha is one of degree. Think of sinking into that delightfully warm and bubbly hot tub. Aaaah, that feels sooo good . . . and so warm. Then, of course, there is always the realization of ah, as in ah, so that’s how it’s done. The aha is more of a discovery, as in Aha! So that’s where my keys are!

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 noire for you from either end.

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Aaah	Ah	Aha	Ahhh
I Think This is Called Chillaxin by John Biehler from Port Coquitlam, Canada, is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Aaah, chillaxin’ . . .	Smile–Sad is zeroos’ own work under the CC0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Both “aaah” and “ah” express feelings, but “ah” is not as heartfelt, not as satisfying.	Bundesgesundheitsministerium “AHA” COVID-19-Plakat is Linus Folke Jensen‘s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.	— No.
Part of Grammar:
Exclamation	Abbreviation ¹; Exclamation ²	Abbreviation ¹; Exclamation ²	Nope, see aaah
Mmmm . . . (degree) An extended exclamation used to express a greater range of emotion	Huh, realization Abbreviation: In the year of the Hegira ¹ Used in the Muslim calendar for reckoning years from Muhammad’s departure from Mecca in AD 622 Of the Muslim era Exclamation: Used to express a range of emotions including surprise, pleasure, sympathy, and realization ²	Discovery Abbreviation: Alpha-hydroxy acid ¹ American Heart Association Exclamation: Used to express derision, triumph, or surprise ²
Examples:
Aaaah, hot water never felt so good. Aaah, now I get it!	Abbreviation: It was a Koran dated 556 AH Exclamation: Ah, there you are! Ah, this is the life.	Abbreviation: I need some AHA to get rid of these wrinkles! Exclamation: Aha! So that’s your secret plan! Aha! I found your hiding place for chocolate!
History of the Word:
Unknown.	From the Latin anno Hegirae. Middle English from Old French.	Its first known use was in 1991. Its first known use was in the 14th century, from Middle English from ah + ha.

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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 explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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