Yikes is an exclamation like oh no or that's awful. People use it to react to news or a sight that scares, worries or unpleasantly surprises them. The word is informal but not rude: people say it out loud and write it in chats.
Could you drop yikes into a text?
Write a short message — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
yikes!; yikes, + that's/it's + adjective; yikes + worried question (Is everyone OK?)
- My phone fell in the bath this morning. — Yikes! Is it still working?
- Yikes, the rent for that flat is almost double what we pay now.
- The exam starts in ten minutes and I've only just left home. — Yikes, run!
What changed
First versionYou got the job? Yikes, congratulations!
RevisionYou got the job? Wow, congratulations!
Yikes can look like an all-purpose exclamation of surprise, but it only expresses alarm or shock, so congratulations right after it sounds odd. For a pleasant surprise, use wow.
Oops is also a short exclamation, but it's about your own small slip-up: Oops, I sent it to the wrong chat. Yikes is for something worrying: Yikes, the car is making a strange noise. In IELTS Speaking, say It was quite a shock or That was really worrying instead of yikes, and in an essay, don't write exclamations at all: convey concern with words like worrying or alarming.
Your turn
My landlord just texted that the rent is going up by 40% next month. — ___, that's a huge jump. Can you still afford the flat?
Show the answer
Yikes — A sharp rise in rent is bad news, and the other person immediately worries about whether there's enough money. That's a yikes reaction. Yay expresses joy, and there's nothing to be happy about here.
A friend texts that they've missed their flight. React with yikes and ask one question about what they'll do next.
Yikes! Can you get a seat on the next flight tonight?
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.