Interjections Explained: Meaning and Examples

Do you ever say something totally normal, like “Thanks” or “I see,” and someone replies with, “Whoa, no need to snap”? 

That right there probably wasn’t your words talking. It was your delivery. In language, emotion sneaks in through all kinds of back doors. One of those is interjections.

From a verb POV, to interject means to interrupt and throw something in between or among other things.

That’s pretty much what interjections do: they interrupt a sentence.

Now, don’t mistake this interruption for an interruption of a conversation. Good interjections don’t interrupt a conversation.

Then what sort of interruption are we talking about? And what are interjections in practice? You’ll learn everything about interjections in this detailed blog.

---

Key Takeaways

• Interjections are words or phrases used to express emotion or reaction, like “wow,” “oops,” or “meh.”

• Unlike other parts of speech, interjections don’t play a grammatical role in the sentence.

• You can use interjections alone or insert them into sentences using commas or parentheses.

• Interjections can be categorized by their intent: volitive, emotive, or cognitive.

• Interjections function very differently from other parts of speech.

---

Let’s start.

Definition of an Interjection

An interjection is a short word or phrase that gets thrown into a sentence, sometimes all by itself, to show some sort of emotion. 

Surprise, excitement, frustration, confusion, etc. If you can feel it and blurt it out, there’s probably an interjection for it. 

All the major dictionaries agree, more or less, on the interjection definition that it’s a quick, often sudden expression of emotion, usually squeezed into conversation without much warning. 

For example, here’s the interjection definition from Merriam-Webster:

What Is an Interjection in Grammar?

Grammatically speaking, an interjection doesn’t play by the usual rules. 

It doesn’t plug neatly into the sentence like a noun or a verb. It just shows up, uninvited but definitely noticed. 

Its  function in a sentence is to add feeling. That is to say, a sentence can still be complete without an interjection.

So, in terms of structure, an interjection stands on its own. 

And if it’s aptly in a sentence, you’ll get the mood of the speaker instantly, without needing much context.

Let’s say someone drops a heavy box right next to you. 

You’re probably not going to say, “I am alarmed by that sound.” 

You’re more likely to just shout, “Whoa!” or maybe something a little less printable 😉. 

That’s an interjection in action. The interjection meaning revolves around this very concept: reaction over reflection.

How It Functions Independently in Sentences

What’s interesting is that while interjections often appear as standalone expressions, they can also sneak into the middle of sentences. 

When they do, they have to be marked off properly, usually with commas, parentheses, or dashes, because they don’t exactly belong there grammatically. 

For example: “I was going to explain everything, but, ugh, I forgot what I was saying.” 

The “ugh” isn’t grammatically tied to the rest of the sentence, but it’s still communicating something real.

Not Grammatically Connected to Other Words

That brings us to another point: interjections are independent little units. 

They’re not grammatically connected to other words in the sentence. 

So even when they’re placed alongside a full sentence, they’re floating. 

And because they’re not essential to the sentence grammatically, you can remove them without changing the core meaning, though you’ll definitely lose a layer of emotional nuance.

Now interjections can so neatly camouflage themselves in sentences that you might not even realize that you just heard or read an interjection. 

So for that matter, you can use our Ask AI chatbot to help you identify interjections in sentences or distinguish them from verbs and adverbs.

Common Examples of Interjections

All interjections serve the same purpose of delivering emotion fast and in real-time. 

Below is a collection of interjection examples that show the range of what these words and phrases can do:

Interjection Example	Usage (Meaning)	Sentence
Wow	Admiration or amazement	Wow, you actually finished that 1,000 piece puzzle?
Ouch	Sudden pain	Ouch! That drawer just attacked my fingers.
Ugh	Disgust or frustration	Ugh, I can’t believe we have to start over again.
Yikes	Fear or alarm	Yikes! That was way closer than it should’ve been.
Hooray	Excitement or celebration	Hooray! We made it before the deadline.
Oh no	Dismay or disappointment	Oh no, I forgot to send the email again.
Ahem	Drawing attention, sometimes sarcastically	Ahem, you’re sitting in my spot (says Sheldon Cooper 😆).
Whew	Relief or exhaustion	Whew, that exam was brutal.
Eww	Disgust	Eww, what is that smell?
Duh	Obviousness or sarcasm	Duh, of course you need an umbrella, it’s raining.
Yippee	Pure joy	Yippee! The concert got rescheduled to Friday!
Whoa	Surprise or awe	Whoa, that dog can skateboard?
Hey	Attention-grabbing	Hey, your bag is still on the bus!
Uh-oh	Trouble is coming	Uh-oh, I think I clicked the wrong link.
Boo-yah	Victory or triumph	Boo-yah! That’s how you close a deal.
Ha	Laughter or mockery	Ha! Told you the vending machine still works.
Gosh	Surprise, frustration, or annoyance	Gosh, this line is never-ending.
Meh	Indifference	Meh, the movie was fine, I guess.
Oops	Small mistake or clumsiness	Oops, didn’t mean to send that to the whole team.
Bravo	Approval or praise	Bravo! That was an impressive presentation.

Notice how flexible and wide-ranging interjections can be? 

They don’t belong to one emotional category, and they’re definitely not limited to a particular grammar rulebook. 

Now here’s another thing about interjections: there isn’t a sacred list of only acceptable interjections. 

Pretty much any word or phrase can become one, as long as it’s being used to convey a reaction or emotion in the moment.

Let’s look at a few examples. Say someone tells you they’ve adopted a senior dog.

Instead of responding with a textbook interjection like “Aww,” you could say:

• Legendary! You adopted a senior dog? That’s amazing.

Or maybe:

• What a move. You adopted a senior dog? Total heart-winner.

Even something as ordinary as a food name could work in the right context:

• Spaghetti! I didn’t expect you to say that.

Or this one:

• Finally, some peace. The neighbors stopped drilling holes at midnight.

It all depends on how it’s delivered.

As long as the word or phrase expresses something emotionally, it can act as an interjection, even if it wasn’t born as one.

Adjectives, nouns, and full-on mini sentences, they’re all fair game. For example:

• Spectacular! You fixed the bug before the meeting.
• Not again! The printer’s jammed for the third time today.
• She’s unbelievable. That intern just pitched a better plan than the senior manager.

Types of Interjections

Now that we’ve seen what is an interjection in examples, let’s look at its categories. 

Depending on why someone blurts something out, the interjection can fall into one of several types.

Volitive: Used for Commands or Requests

Volitive interjections pop up when someone wants you to do something or stop doing something. 

These interjections might not come across like full-on orders, but they carry the same weight. 

You’ll find them to be short and usually contain a built-in sense of urgency.

Interjection Example	Usage (Meaning)	Sentence
Shh	Asking for silence	Shh! I’m trying to listen to the announcement.
Psst	Calling someone’s attention quietly	Psst. You dropped your phone.
Ahem	Gently prompting attention	Ahem. We haven’t voted yet.
Hey	Getting attention or calling out	Hey! Don’t walk away while I’m talking.
Yo	Informal way to get someone’s attention	Yo, over here!
Stop	Demanding a halt to something	Stop! That’s not how you hold the knife.

Emotive: Express Emotion or Feeling

Emotive interjections are the ones that convey feelings of joy, disgust, anger, surprise, etc.

If it’s emotional, there’s an interjection for it. 

Some emotive interjections are friendly. Some are not. And yes, some live in that colorful category known as curse words (which we won’t spell out here, but you know the ones).

Interjection Example	Usage (Meaning)	Sentence
Ew	Disgust	Ew, that milk has gone completely sour.
Yay	Excitement or happiness	Yay! I got the last ticket to the concert.
Ugh	Frustration	Ugh, I knew I should’ve brought an umbrella.
Oof	Sympathy or a minor pain	Oof, that response was harsh.
Yum	Delight in taste	Yum! This pasta is on another level.
Aww	Tenderness or sympathy	Aww, that puppy is smaller than my slipper.
Whoa	Shock or awe	Whoa! Did you see that lightning strike?

Cognitive/Informative: Indicate Thinking or Realization

Cognitive interjections sound like the inner monologue spilling out loud. 

They’re the ones that show hesitation, realization, or any kind of lightbulb moment. 

You’ll often hear them when someone’s trying to buy time while thinking or suddenly having a breakthrough.

Here are a few interjection examples of the cognitive type:

Interjection Example	Usage (Meaning)	Sentence
Um	Hesitation or confusion	Um, could you repeat that part about the refund?
Huh	Lack of understanding or confusion	Huh, I didn’t expect that result.
Oh	Realization or surprise	Oh! That’s why the shortcut didn’t work.
Hmm	Deep thought or doubt	Hmm, I’m not convinced that’s the right approach.
Eureka	Sudden discovery or insight	Eureka! I finally cracked the login issue.
Aha	Realization or a clever insight	Aha! So that’s where the missing piece goes.

One underrated fact about interjections is that they make writing sound human, as you saw in all the examples so far.

If you are having a hard time making a writing piece sound less robotic, consider inserting some relevant interjections. But if there is too much text, doing this manually can get frustrating.

So why not use our AI Humanizer?

Simply give it your text, and it’ll rewrite robotic, overly formal phrases or complex sentences into more natural, expressive sentences using interjections.

How to Use Interjections in Sentences

We simply showed you some sentences with interjections in them. But there are some rules for using interjections that you probably couldn’t notice. 

Fortunately, the rules here aren’t too complicated. Interjections are informal by nature, and that flexibility extends to how you punctuate and place them.

Generally speaking, interjections show up in two ways: either as standalone expressions or as elements inserted into a sentence. 

Let’s look at some interjection examples in both forms to see how this works in practice.

Interjections Used by Themselves

In this type of usage, the interjection stands alone, typically right before or after a complete sentence.

It’s not attached grammatically, but still communicates something that the main sentence doesn’t, usually the speaker’s reaction or emotional state. 

Also worth noting: if the emotion leans toward confusion or questioning, the interjection might end with a question mark rather than an exclamation point.

Interjection Example	Usage (Meaning)	Sentence
Wow	Surprise or amazement	Wow! That sunset looks unreal.
Uh-oh	Realization of a problem	Uh-oh! I think I left the oven on.
Amazing	Enthusiastic praise	Did you see that move? Amazing!
Seriously	Disbelief or doubt	You paid how much for that? Seriously?
Today	Urgency or emphasis	When’s the deadline? Today! Get to it!
Huh	Confusion or mishearing	She’s quitting? Huh? Didn’t see that coming.

Interjections Within Sentences

When used mid-sentence, interjections still don’t take on any grammatical role. 

That’s why they’re separated visually with punctuation. It’s also why you shouldn’t just drop them in raw without any commas or markers; otherwise, the sentence can get confusing.

Interjection Example	Usage (Meaning)	Sentence
Whoops	Minor mistake	Whoops, I left my badge at home again.
Yikes	Alarm or fear	Yikes, that’s a lot of bees in one place.
Boy	Exaggerated expression	I just finished the hike and, boy, am I exhausted.
Huh	Confirmation or disbelief	I guess that’s it, huh?
Ugh	Frustration	We have to clean the garage again, ugh, this weekend.
Ahem	Drawing attention politely	I was saying, ahem, that you missed the meeting.

It doesn’t matter if the interjection is standing alone or tucked into a sentence. The main thing is clarity. 

Does the punctuation make the meaning obvious? Does the emotion come through without interrupting the flow of thought?

If you’re ever unsure, it’s worth giving your writing a quick check.

That’s where a tool like Grammar Checker by Undetectable AI can be helpful. 

It can scan for misplaced commas, missing punctuation, and awkward phrasing, especially when you’re working with informal elements like interjections.

Interjections vs Other Parts of Speech

Now let’s look at how interjections stack up against other parts of speech. 

While most words in a sentence are there to do something grammatically, like naming, describing, or connecting, interjections are on their own wavelength. 

They’re not here to form structure. They’re here to add emotion.

Here’s a quick comparison between interjections and other relevant parts of speech:

Part of Speech	Purpose	How It Compares to Interjections	Example Sentence
Interjection	Express emotion or spontaneous reaction	Stands alone; not grammatically tied to sentence structure	Yikes! That meeting went downhill fast.
Conjunction	Connect words, phrases, or clauses	Always used within a sentence to link ideas	She likes coffee and bagels.
Adverb	Modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs	Provides detail about how, when, or where; unlike interjections, adverbs serve a grammatical function	He spoke loudly during the call.
Adjective	Describe or modify nouns	Tied to sentence structure; interjections never modify other words	That was a terrible idea.
Noun	Name a person, place, thing, or idea	Functions as subject or object in a sentence. Interjections do neither	Oops! I forgot the keys at home.
Verb	Describe an action or state	Carries the main action or being in a sentence	I ran out of time, again.

If you’re writing something creative, especially dialogue or expressive writing, and want your tone to feel more natural, playful, or intense, interjections can help. 

But do you have what it takes to weave them in without overdoing it or breaking the rhythm?

To enhance your writing’s emotional tone without sounding forced, try using the AI Essay Rewriter by Undetectable AI. 

It can help you naturally blend interjections into your writing and fine-tune the overall tone.

Test our AI Detector and Humanizer now using the widget below!

FAQs About Interjections

Final Thoughts

Interjections may be short, but they help us speak the way we feel without needing a paragraph to explain ourselves. 

Once you know how they work and where they fit, you’ll start spotting them everywhere: in conversation, in writing, even in the occasional side-eye-worthy group chat.

Now that you’ve got a full understanding of interjection examples, meanings, and uses, you can slip them into your writing naturally. 

Need help adding emotion and natural flow to your creative writing?

Try the Undetectable AI tools. 

They can help fine-tune your tone, weave in interjections more smoothly, and make your writing sound less like a robot and more like, well, you.