We use “oops” to show regret for having done or said something wrong. It’s like saying, “I made a mistake.”

When do we use them?

Native English speakers use interjections every day. And that includes everyone from babies to older adults. In fact, a baby’s first word might be an interjection. A baby might say “ow” or “ouch!” when they touch something too hot or “yum!” when their food tastes delicious.

But an adult might, too.

Interjections are used in spoken English, informal writing and creative writing, including in books, films and songs. You may remember American singer Britney Spears’ most famous song, “Oops! ...I Did It Again” in which she shows regret for breaking someone’s heart.

We do not use interjections in formal writing, such as essays or research papers. And, we usually avoid them in professional messages, such as business letters or emails.

Yet, their informal status does not make them any less useful of a communication tool. Even respected dictionaries now include their meanings.

Primary vs. secondary

There are two types of interjections: primary and secondary.

Primary interjections are individual words and sounds that are used only as interjections. They have no other meanings or uses, such as the words from earlier in our program: “oops,” “hmm,” “woohoo,” “ow,” “ouch,” and “yum.”

Secondary interjections are words or phrases that already belong to other parts of speech, such as “boy,” “awesome,” and “oh my God.” These words all have separate meanings as interjections.

For example, the original meaning of the word “boy” is male child. But as an interjection, its meaning is completely different. It is used to express a strong reaction, such as interest or surprise. Here's an example:

My cat destroyed my roommate’s favorite plant. Boy, was he mad! But I promised to replace it by Sunday.

Using the interjection “boy” brings attention to the extent of the roommate’s anger.

Parts of speech

Even though interjections are informal, they are parts of speech. They can be nouns, verbs or adverbs.

Here is an interjection as a noun:

Baloney! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

Using the word “baloney” is a direct – and somewhat confrontational – way of saying, “I don’t agree with that.”

…as a verb:

Get out! The tickets sold out in 15 minutes. That’s impossible.

“Get out” means “I don’t believe it” and is usually used in a friendly way.

…and as an adverb:

Uh-uh. I can’t make it today. I have a meeting at 5pm.

“Uh-uh” simply means “no” but is usually used to emphasize a negative answer to a question, request or offer.

But be careful not to mistake “uh-uh” with an interjection that sounds and looks similar but has the opposite meaning: “Uh-huh.” It means yes. It can also be used to show that you agree or understand. Here’s an example:

Do you know what I mean?
Uh-huh. I feel the same way.

Punctuation

Interjections do not follow usual English rules of punctuation. They mostly have no relationship to other parts of a sentence. So, they are usually written separately and followed by an exclamation point or a period. This is because their meanings alone can often express a complete thought.

Earlier in the program, for example, we told you that “oops” means “I made a mistake.” That is a complete thought, so it does not need to be part of a sentence.

Still, we can follow them with a comma. You could, for example, write, “Oops, I spilled some coffee” with a comma following “oops” instead of a period or exclamation point.

The punctuation usually depends on the emotion you are expressing. To show excitement, we usually use an exclamation point after an interjection, which keeps it separate from sentences.

Common interjections

OK, now let’s learn a few more common interjections:

If something is generally unpleasant, whether in appearance, taste or smell, you can say “yuck,” “eww,” “ick,” or “blech.”

If you want to say something tastes or smells good, you can use “mmm” or “yum.”

If you are frustrated or upset about something, you might say “ugh” or “argh.”

One thing to note: Different parts of the United States may use different interjections. Listen again to the example with “baloney.”

Baloney! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

The word “baloney” is most common in the northeastern United States.

And, other forms of English, such as British English, share only some interjections with American English.