Anguished face emoji 😧 (the “oh no” emoji)
😧 is the anguished face: raised, worried eyebrows, wide eyes and an open frown. It is the “oh no” emoji — dismay at bad news, alarm at a mistake, the moment you realise…
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What the anguished face 😧 (the “oh no”) emoji means
😧 is the anguished face: raised, worried eyebrows, wide eyes and an open frown. It is the “oh no” emoji — dismay at bad news, alarm at a mistake, the moment you realise you left the oven on. Its near twin 😦 frowning face with open mouth has flatter eyebrows and reads as startled disappointment rather than distress; the two are often used interchangeably. Both sit between 😟 worried face and the fear faces 😨 😱 on the scared emoji scale.
Unicode name: anguished face · U+1F627 · Emoji 1.0 (2015) · group: Smileys & Emotion.
How people use it
- Oh no: bad news, accidents, “are you okay?”
- Dismay: a plan collapsing
- Alarm: realising a mistake
- Startled (😦): “wait, what?”
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| anguished faceU+1F627 | Oh no — distressed | |
| frowning face with open mouthU+1F626 | Startled dismay | |
| fearful faceU+1F628 | Scared | |
| worried faceU+1F61F | Anxious, concerned | |
| face screaming in fearU+1F631 | Full panic |
When you’re stunned: 😧 and related faces
If you need a stunned emoji, 😧 fits the bill: the wide eyes and open mouth capture that frozen second of realisation. Unlike 😱, which is outright horror, 😧 mixes shock with concern, so it reads as ‘I can’t believe this is happening’ rather than pure terror. The raised eyebrows add a layer of worry, making it suitable for both bad news and awkward surprises.
For a more distressed emoji, 😰 anxious face with sweat adds physical stress, while 😧 keeps the focus on the emotional blow. When someone sends you 😧, they can be saying they’re stunned but still processing. It works well with phrases like ‘I’m speechless’ or ‘what just happened?’
The anguished face as a meme
😧 can appear in reaction memes, paired with captions like ‘when you realise it’s Monday’ or ‘me after reading the group chat’. The contrast between the exaggerated distress and the mundane cause makes it funny. The same face can also be used without irony in serious conversations, such as when someone shares upsetting news.
The same face works as an ‘uh oh’ face when someone catches a minor mistake, such as sending a message to the wrong person.
Questions people ask
What does 😧 mean?
Anguish or dismay — “oh no”. The raised brows and open mouth show alarm at something bad.
What is the difference between 😧 and 😦?
😧 anguished face has worried, raised eyebrows; 😦 frowning face with open mouth has flat brows and is more startled than distressed.
Which emoji means oh no?
😧 is the closest single face. 😰 adds a cold sweat and 🙈 hides from it.
Is there a stunned face meme using 😧?
Yes, 😧 can be used as a reaction image in memes to exaggerate shock or despair, especially when the situation is absurd rather than genuinely scary.
What is the distressed emoji?
😧 is sometimes called the distressed emoji: its anguished expression — raised brows, wide eyes and an open mouth — conveys alarm and dismay.
About this guide
Written and maintained by the Emoji Directory editorial team, without ads or sponsorship. Meanings describe how the emoji is commonly used in public posts and messages, not an official definition. Names, code points, versions, keywords and translations come from the Unicode Emoji 18.0 and CLDR data; shortcodes from the gemoji project. Last reviewed . Spotted a mistake or a new usage? Tell us, or read how the directory is made.
