Italian Word of the Day: Oibò (oh / oh my / darn)

Today we’re going to be looking at the short yet fun word oibò!

According to Treccani, oibò (also written ohibò with an “h”), is an exclamation of onomatopoeic origin used to express a range of emotions, including indignation, nausea, contempt, surprise, and disapproval. Some possible translations include oh, well, oh my, darn and my goodness.

/oi·bò/
Italian interjection "oibò"

In spoken Italian, it isn’t an exclamation you will hear regularly, but once you start reading in Italian—especially children’s storybooks—you will encounter it quite often.


Sometimes, you will see it used as a disdainful or resentful expression of refusal or denial. It may also be used ironically or as a joke.


Young girl is shocked on terrace.

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