Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hella

/ˈhɛl.ə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.35 in modern English

Syllables: hel-la
IPA: /ˈhɛl.ə/

8

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

det

An intensifier, signifying an abundance of a thing; much or many.

Slang

pron

A lot; very much.

Slang

adv

Intensifier, modifying verbs; to a large extent; totally; very much.

Slang

adv

Intensifier, modifying adjectives; to a large degree; extremely; exceedingly.

American usage; Slang

intj

For sure; totally; hell yeah; used as a strong affirmation of something that was just said, accomplished, or revealed.

Slang

contraction

Contraction of Hell + have.

name

Any of various place names.

Example Sentences

"There are hella people here."
"Now, let’s talk bidness. I got nothing for you. Wrong. You got hella cash."
"(“We practiced it hella times, but it’s new, and I can’t really get it on top of the music yet,” she explained.)"
"We paid hella for that Chinese cuisine."
"I can't tell you how much I hella love the new track."
"Jane was driving away, and the door was open, so I hella ran for it."

Etymology

Related to a hell of a. Originally Northern California slang. Compare helluv, helluva.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈhɛl.ə/

Usage

Slang
American usage

Derived Forms

hellagood

Frequently Paired Words

hecka helluv helluva

Synonyms

bare mad wicked

Rhymes With

venezuela umbrella vanilla bella stella ella fella cinderella coachella mozzarella salmonella novella

Questions

How do you pronounce hella?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɛl.ə/.
What does hella mean?: An intensifier, signifying an abundance of a thing; much or many.
Where does hella come from?: Related to a hell of a. Originally Northern California slang. Compare helluv, helluva.

How to pronounce hella

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