hella

H4E1L1L1A1
US/ˈhɛl.ə/

determiner

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

“There are hella people here.”

Similar
baremadwicked
Less commonScrabble 8
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Meanings

hella1

determiner
  1. Northern CaliforniaslangAn intensifier, signifying an abundance of a thing; much or many.

    There are hella people here.

    2 more examples

    Now, let’s talk bidness. I got nothing for you. Wrong. You got hella cash.

    2016, Life Is Strange, spoken by Chloe Price (Ashly Burch), Square Enix, via Dontnod Entertainment

    (“We practiced it hella times, but it’s new, and I can’t really get it on top of the music yet,” she explained.)

    2023 August 20, Kelefa Sanneh, quoting Fatimah Nyeema Warner, “Noname’s Ambivalent, Triumphant Comeback”, in The New Yorker, →ISSN

    Synonyms: bare, mad

pronoun
  1. Northern CaliforniaslangA lot; very much.

    We paid hella for that Chinese cuisine.

adverbhella (not comparable)
  1. Northern Californianot comparableslangIntensifier, modifying verbs; to a large extent; totally; very much.

    I can't tell you how much I hella love the new track.

    3 more examples

    Jane was driving away, and the door was open, so I hella ran for it.

    Oh, today's Cyrell's bday. We hella sang her happy birthday at the spot.

    You’re right. We hella deserve it. Splish splash! Did you actually just say "hella"? I think I’m a good bad influence on you.

    2016, Life Is Strange, spoken by Chloe Price (Hannah Telle as Max Caulfield and Ashly Burch), Square Enix, via Dontnod Entertainment
  2. USnot comparableregionalslangpotentially considered vulgar; African-American Vernacular; potentially considered vulgar; African-American VernacularIntensifier, modifying adjectives; to a large degree; extremely; exceedingly.

    I guess she seems hella stoned in her commercial.

    3 more examples

    I've been a Star Wars fan since I was hella young.

    "And to the fella over there / With the hella good hair / Won't you come on over, baby / We can shake, shake, shake"

    2014, Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off”

    The storm got hella crazy and... and you said we would be safe at the lighthouse.

    2016, Life Is Strange, spoken by Chloe Price (Ashly Burch), Square Enix, via Dontnod Entertainment

    Synonyms: wicked

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

    "We definitely rocked that shit man!" "Hella!"

hella2

contraction
  1. abbreviationcontractionnonstandardContraction of Hell + have.

    Where the hella you been?

Hella3

proper noun
  1. Any of various place names.

Synonyms & antonyms

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

Similar
baremad

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

Similar
wicked
Also see
dumbheckahellmadodeetype

Origin

hella · determiner, pronoun, adverb, interjection

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

Full word history & related roots →

hella · contraction

Shortened form, or elision, of phrases like "hell have", approximating casual speech in writing.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with hella

VenezuelaumbrellaBellaEllasalmonellamozzarellafellarubellaGabriellanovellaCoachellavaricellashigellapaellachlorellacandelabrucellanigellaAdelacitronellacellaklebsiellatarantellacastella
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Halle
Cite this entry
APA

hella. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hella

MLA

“hella.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hella. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hella,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hella.

Source: hella on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.