Oh vs. Wow — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Oh and Wow
ADVERTISEMENT
Compare with Definitions
Oh
Used to express strong emotion, such as surprise, fear, anger, or pain
Oh—can't you stop making so much noise?.
Wow
Expressing astonishment or admiration
‘Wow!’ he cried enthusiastically
Oh
Used in direct address
Oh, sir! You forgot your keys.
Wow
A sensational success
Your play's a wow
Oh
Used to indicate understanding or acknowledgment of a statement
Oh, I see. You can't come until tomorrow.
ADVERTISEMENT
Wow
Slow pitch fluctuation in sound reproduction, perceptible in long notes.
Oh
Zero.
Wow
Impress and excite (someone) greatly
They wowed audiences on their recent British tour
Oh
Expression of surprise.
Oh! I didn't see you there.
Wow
Used to express wonder, amazement, or great pleasure.
Oh
Expression of wonder, amazement, or awe.
Oh, wow! That's amazing.
Wow
An outstanding success.
Oh
Expression of understanding, affirmation, recognition, or realization.
Oh, so that's how it works.
Wow
Slow variation in the pitch of a sound reproduction resulting from variations in the speed of the recording or reproducing equipment.
Oh
A word to precede an offhand or annoyed remark.
Oh, leave me alone.
Wow
To have a strong, usually pleasurable effect on
A performance that wowed the audience.
Oh
A word to precede an added comment or afterthought.
Oh, and don't forget your coat.
Wow
An indication of excitement, surprise, astonishment, or pleasure.
Wow, I sure was surprised!
Oh
An invocation or address (similar to the vocative in languages with noun declension), often with a term of endearment.
Oh, gosh
Wow
An expression of amazement, awe, or admiration.
Wow! How do they do that?
Oh
Exclamation for drama or emphasis (often poetic).
Oh, when will it end?
Wow
Used sarcastically to express disapproval of something.
Wow… good job using all of our supplies on the first day.
Oh
Expression of pain. See ouch.
Oh! That hurt.
Wow
To amaze or awe.
He really wowed the audience.
Oh
Space filler or extra syllable, especially in (popular) music.
Wow
(informal) Anything exceptionally surprising, unbelievable, outstanding, etc.
He did? That's a wow!
Oh
(interrogative) Expression of mild scepticism.
"You should watch where you're going!" "Oh?"
Wow
(audio) A relatively slow form of flutter (pitch variation) which can affect both gramophone records and tape recorders.
Oh
A word to mark a spoken phrase as imaginary.
What if he says "Oh, I need to see your ID"?
Wow
A joke that seems extremely funny
Oh
An utterance of oh; a spoken expression of surprise, acknowledgement, etc.
Wow
Impress greatly;
The speaker wowed the audience
Oh
The letter O, o (more commonly spelled o)
Oh
The digit 0 (especially in representations of speech)
My telephone number is four-double-three-two-oh-nine.
Oh
(intransitive) To utter the interjection oh; to express surprise, etc.
Oh
An exclamation expressing various emotions, according to the tone and manner, especially surprise, pain, sorrow, anxiety, or a wish. See the Note under O.
Oh
A midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Heightwise vs. Height
Next Comparison
Hookworm vs. Tapeworm
