If you aren’t sure whether you should use aw or awe in your sentence, you are not the only one. These two words are homophones, so they sound exactly the same but have different meanings.
Although they are homophones, aw and awe can’t be used in place of each other. Awe is used to describe amazement, while aw is an exclamation. If you see a cute puppy, you will audibly say the word aw, not the word awe.
Aw
Aw is used as an exclamation of annoyance, pity, or excitement. For example, you can say aw when you see an adorable animal or when your friend drops their entire drink on the ground. Depending on how aw is used, it can mean something different.
Aw is also considered to be an onomatopoeia. This is because it is a noise that is coming out of your mouth when you experience any of these situations. It can be used in several different forms of context, but mostly not in formal writing.
You might also see this word written out as aww or awwwww. It doesn’t matter how many w’s are added, as long as there is no e on the end of it, the word will still have the same meaning.
Examples
Aw man, I dropped my taco!
Oh my gosh, aw! That is the cutest kitten I have ever seen.
Aw, you don’t have to worry about me.
Aw, that is so sweet of him to send you chocolate for your birthday.
Awe
Awe is a noun that is used to describe amazement or wonder. When someone sees something that makes their jaw drop, they are in awe. This word is part of the word awestruck, which is an adjective that means one is experiencing something amazing.
Awe can also be used as a verb. As a verb, awe means to inspire amazement or wonder. This refers to the action of something bringing you amazement. A landmark will continuously awe visitors.
Examples
I stared at the stars in awe of how beautiful they are.
There is nothing like seeing the awe on a child’s face during their first trip to Disney.
The Grand Canyon always awes me no matter how many times I go.
She didn’t say anything, but he could see the awe in her eyes.
Remembering the Difference
It can be tricky to remember the difference between aw and awe, but once you know which word is which, you can use them confidently.
Awe is used as a noun or a verb to describe a feeling of amazement or wonder. To remember this, it is best to think of the word awesome. Since awesome describes something great and amazing, you should be able to remember what awe means.
Aw is an expression used to describe either pity or excitement. The best way to remember this is that you can add as many w’s in your comment about your best friend’s new baby and they will know how cute you think the baby is.
Summary
Aw and awe are homophones, meaning they sound the same but have different meanings. Contrary to what is believed, the words can’t be used in place of each other. One word is a noun and verb while the other is an exclamation and an onomatopoeia.
Awe is used to describe something that is amazing and aw is used as an exclamation of pity or excitement of some kind. Remembering when to use which can be tricky, but after reading this article you should have a much better understanding of the words.
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