Word Confusion: O vs O’ vs Oh vs Ooh

Plural for the noun: Os, O’s, os, oes

Plural for the noun: ohs, oh’s

Third person present verb: ohs
Past tense or past participle: ohed
Present participle: ohing

Plural for the noun: oohs
Gerund: oohing

Third person present verb: oohs
Past tense or past participle: oohed
Present participle: oohing

[From Latin octarius, in prescriptions] A pint ¹

[Baseball] Out, outs

Octavo

Old

Oregon

Ohio

Other half ⁴

Exclamation:
Archaic spelling of oh

[Archaic] Used before a name in direct address, as in prayers and poetry

Noun:
Fifteenth letter of the alphabet ¹

• A human blood type (in the ABO system) lacking both the A and B antigens

[Also oh] Zero (in a sequence of numerals, especially when spoken)

A shape like that of a capital O

A circle

Prefix:
[Chemistry] Used in combination ²

Suffix:
Informal slang variants or derivatives ³

Used as the terminal vowel of combining forms

Preposition:
Short for of or on and used to represent an informal pronunciation

Off hand ²

[Real estate] Open house

(US; Army; Aviation] Observation helicopter designations ³

Exclamation:
Used to express a range of emotions including joy, surprise, anger, disappointment, or when reacting to something that has just been said ⁴

Used in direct address to attract the attention of the person spoken to

Used to express acknowledgment or understanding of a statement

Used to introduce an example or approximation

Interrogative:
Expression of mild skepticism ⁵

Noun:
Variant spelling of the O noun ⁶

[Informal; used in electronic communication] A person’s wife, husband, or partner ⁷

Verb, intransitive:
To utter or exclaim oh ⁸

Noun:
An utterance of ooh

Verb, intransitive:
Utter such an exclamation

If we print 16 pages, we’ll have an o.

We need to schedule these for M., O., and D.

We’re going to O., Md., and Wash.

The opposing team had two Os already, and it wasn’t looking good with this batter coming up.

Exclamation:
“O Holy Night”

Give peace in our time, O Lord.

Noun:
A person with blood type O is a potential universal donor.

Count it down with me: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.

It’s o-shaped.

Prefix:
I have to see the orthodontist.

The o-Xylene “is an aromatic hydrocarbon with the formula C6H4(CH3)2” (o-Xylene).

Suffix:
Righto, I’ll get right on it.

He’s some old wino.

Chemicophysical pertains to physical chemistry.

Gallo wines are on the cheap end.

Preposition:
I could do with a cup o’ tea.

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya.

Walk ahead o’ me.

It’s four o’clock already!?

Dinna follow the will-o’-the-wisp lest he lead ye astray.

I think, OH, we’ll have to postpone it.

I have an OH this weekend.

Exclamation:
“Oh no,” said Margaret, in distress.

Me? Oh, I’m fine.

Oh, shut up.

Oh, yeah?

Oh, Mary, can you pick up the mail?

Oh, I see. You can’t come until tomorrow.

Interrogative:
“You left the keys in the door again!” “Oh?”

Noun:
Count it down with me: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.

It’s oh-shaped.

I often go to gigs on my own as my OH doesn’t have the same musical tastes as me.

Verb, intransitive:
There was a lot of ohing and ahing when the crowd came through into the Designer Showcase house.

“A quarter of an hour elapsed, and then, after several rings at the door-bell, a smothered laugh, and a good deal of ohing and ahing, the door was thrown open, and one by one, as they were announced, in came the expected characters” (Goodrich).

Ooh, my feet!

“‘Ooh!’ Saxon murmured, pointing to a lump on her wrist” (London).

Noun:
It’s the same every Fourth of July as the excited viewers ooh and aah about the fireworks.

We listened to the oohs and aahs of the enthusiastic audience.

“The oohs and ahs from the people he or she works with will pack a lot of emotional impact into your gift” (Hopkins).

Verb, intransitive:
The inn’s visitors oohed and aahed at the Christmas tree.

Everyone oohed and aahed as the gifts were unwrapped.

They oohed and aahed over the baby.

1. Natural exclamation first recorded in Middle English.
2. Perhaps from the exclamation, oh, reinforced by abbreviated forms such as hippo, photo.
3. From the Greek.
4. 1990s, an abbreviation of other half.

1. On July 1, 1963, the Post Office Department implemented the five-digit ZIP Code, which was placed after the state name in the last line of an address. To provide room for the ZIP Code, the Department issued two-letter abbreviations for all states and territories. For more information, read Publication 59, Abbreviations for Use with ZIP Code (US Postal Service).
2. Unknown.
3. 1945.
4. Mid-16th century, as a variant of O3.
5. Unknown.
6. Mid-16th century and a variant of O 1.
7. 1990s, an abbreviation of other half.
8. Unknown.