Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hellish

/ˈhɛlɪʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.92 in modern English

Syllables
hell-ish
IPA
/ˈhɛlɪʃ/
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

infernal, related or similar to hell.

adj

causing great pain, discomfort or distress.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-der. Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-yo- /*ḱol-yeh₂-der.? Proto-Germanic *haljō Proto-West Germanic *hallju Old English hell Middle English helle English hell Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -isch English -ish English hellish From hell + -ish.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhɛlɪʃ/
  • British English: /ˈhɛlɪʃ/

Inflected Forms

more hellish (comparative) most hellish (superlative)

Derived Forms

hellishly hellishness unhellish

Frequently Paired Words

hell

Synonyms

helly stygian Acherontic infernal Hadean hellish Plutonic Plutonian subtartarean Tartarean awful horrible

Antonyms

heavenly

Rhymes With

relish embellish mellish

Questions

How do you pronounce hellish?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɛlɪʃ/.
What does hellish mean?
infernal, related or similar to hell.
Where does hellish come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-der. Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-yo- /*ḱol-yeh₂-der.? Proto-Germanic *haljō Proto-West Germanic *hallju Old English hell Middle English helle English hell Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -isch English -ish English hellish From hell + -ish.

How to pronounce hellish

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hellish”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhɛlɪʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hellish”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “hellish” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.