"___ is me!"

WOE

This three-letter cry of distress fits perfectly between "alas" and "misery."

This clue plays on the famous Shakespearean line "Woe is me!"—a dramatic way to express deep sadness or misery. The blank at the start hints you’re filling in a single word that completes the well-known phrase. Since "woe" means suffering or sorrow, it fits both the meaning and the classic quote many people recognize.