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Why did they do it? Beats the hell out of me. I was just a scared kid from Kentucky, and these guys had been up in the majors for a while. I guess it was because I was just such a helluva nice kid - if you'll accept that.
Pee Wee Reese

Meaning of "helluva" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF HELLUVA

helluva  [ˈhɛləvə] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF HELLUVA

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Helluva can act as an adjective and an adverb.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

The adverb is an invariable part of the sentence that can change, explain or simplify a verb or another adverb.

WHAT DOES HELLUVA MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Hella

Hella is a word associated with California, particularly the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a contraction of the phrase "hell of a" or "hell of a lot, " in turn reduced to "hell of." It often appears in place of the words "really," "a lot," "totally," "very" and in some cases "yes". Whereas hell of a is generally used with a noun, according to linguist Pamela Munro, hella is primarily used to modify an adjective such as "good." According to lexicographer Allan A. Metcalf, the word is a marker of Northern California dialect. According to Colleen Cotter, "Southern Californians know the term... but rarely use it." Sometimes the term grippa is used to mock "NorCal" dialect, with the actual meaning being the opposite of hella.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH HELLUVA


Beriosova
bɛrɪˈəʊsəvə
Cordova
ˈkɔːdəvə
redowa
ˈrɛdəvə
Ulanova
ʊˈlɑːnəvə
Vaishnava
ˈvɪʃnəvə
zelkova
ˈzelkəvə

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE HELLUVA

hellery
Helles
Hellespont
hellfire
hellgramite
hellgrammite
hellhole
hellhound
hellier
hellion
hellish
hellishly
hellishness
hellkite
Hellman
hello
hello money
hellward
hellwards

WORDS THAT END LIKE HELLUVA

ava
Bratislava
brava
diva
Geneva
Genova
Huelva
Java
lava
leva
Lietuva
Moldova
nova
Ostrava
ova
Padova
silva
Suva
va
viva

Synonyms and antonyms of helluva in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «helluva» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF HELLUVA

Find out the translation of helluva to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of helluva from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «helluva» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

宏大
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

cojonudo
570 millions of speakers

English

helluva
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

helluva
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

ملحوظة للغاية
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

чертовски
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

infernal
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

helluva
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

encaissait
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Helluva
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

helluva
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

すごい
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

고약한
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Nyatane
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

helluva
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

helluva
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

हेलुवा
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

felâket
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

helluva
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

helluva
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

чертовски
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

helluva
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

κάρων
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

helse
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

helluva
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

helluva
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of helluva

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «HELLUVA»

The term «helluva» is regularly used and occupies the 63.233 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
71
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «helluva» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of helluva
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «helluva».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «HELLUVA» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «helluva» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «helluva» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about helluva

EXAMPLES

5 QUOTES WITH «HELLUVA»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word helluva.
1
Lucille Ball
It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.
2
Kenny Chesney
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm a helluva kisser.
3
Roger Maris
It would have been a helluva lot more fun if I had not hit those sixty-one home runs.
4
Pee Wee Reese
Why did they do it? Beats the hell out of me. I was just a scared kid from Kentucky, and these guys had been up in the majors for a while. I guess it was because I was just such a helluva nice kid - if you'll accept that.
5
Eric Stoltz
I have a love/hate relationship with just about all technology in my life. My first typewriter in particular. I had a helluva time putting new ribbon on it.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «HELLUVA»

Discover the use of helluva in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to helluva and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Helluva Luxe
Helluva Luxe is a humorous, dark and sexy story about making strangers into family and seeing the world the way you want to see it.
Natalie Essary, 2012
2
A Helluva High Note: Surviving Life, Love, and American Idol
And, of course, she shares behind-the-scenes stories from her years on American Idol and the real truth about her departure from the show.
Kara DioGuardi, 2011
3
Helluva Town: The Story of New York City During World War II
Finally, this is the story of New York’s emergence as the power and glory of the world stage in the wake of V-J Day, underlined when the newly created United Nations arose beside the East River, climaxing a storied chapter in the history ...
Richard Goldstein, 2010
4
Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy ...
James tells the incredible story, revealing his complex and sometimes terrifying relationship with Roulette Records and Morris Levy, the legendary Godfather of the music business.
Tommy James, 2010
5
One Helluva Ride: How NASCAR Swept the Nation
This book, like the phenomenon it profiles, really is One Helluva Ride. From the Hardcover edition.
Liz Clarke, 2008
6
One Helluva Mess
The latest fast-paced Izzo thriller features Inspector Fabio Montale, the Marseilles flick fond of pretty women, Good food and drink - and solo fishing trips. What will his catch be this time?
Jean-Claude Izzo, 2001
7
A Helluva Guy
A. K. Daniels. A . K . D A N I E L S A Winning Team, Essex Hall, 1929 A Helluva Guy A Helluva Guy A.K. Daniels Copyright ©. 50538-DANI-softfront.
A. K. Daniels, 2008
8
Helluva Town: New York City in the 1940s and 50s
At the end of World War II New York City went through a period of transformation - loved ones were reunited and babies were born into a new era. African American soldiers who fought in the name of democracy demanded equal rights at home.
‎2008
9
Charlize: Life's One Helluva Ride
The meteoric rise and life story of South African Academy Award winning actress Charlize Theron
Chris Karsten, 2010
10
Baseball: One Helluva Life
The stories of Dave's life in and around the game are priceless artifacts of one of the industry's true living legends. He's done it all in the game. His stories prove it and he's the main character.
Dave Rosenfield, John Traub, 2012

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «HELLUVA»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term helluva is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Lennox Lewis Confirms Vince McMahon Once Offered Him £5 to …
If it had come to fruition, it would've been one helluva compelling WWE storyline. Brock Lesnar, Lennox Lewis, Vince McMahon, Boxing, WWE. «The Big Lead, Jul 15»
2
Baron Davis -- I'm a Testicle Doctor Now!! | TMZ.com
Ya gotta check out the clip ... it's pretty hilarious ... and Davis does a helluva job extracting Joe's bean bags from his guts with a trusty pair of ... «TMZ.com, Jul 15»
3
First blood to Nicola Sturgeon as she outfoxes David Cameron on …
In any given circumstances, the SNP seems to play its cards more cannily than its opponents. Luck? Maybe. But this promises to be a helluva ... «The Independent, Jul 15»
4
Porzingis rejects Okafor in OT to seal Knicks' summer league win …
He's a helluva player. Looks like he could do everything and he has the respect of his teammates.'' The Okafor-Porzingis matchup had some ... «New York Post, Jul 15»
5
[PHOTO] SouthSide With You Tika Sumpter & Parker Sawyers The …
You have to admit, it's a helluva creative challenge. Sell the concept as “Barack and Michelle” to get people to sit down & watch, then make ... «Deadline, Jul 15»
6
Journey of a Bombshell at Capital Fringe - DC Theatre Scene
... Arts Center Black Box theater seats 60 and was largely empty, but the 17 of us who did make it for the 7:30 pm show had a helluva good time. «DC Theatre Scene, Jul 15»
7
Kel Nagle's final interview: legend rated himself 100-1 shot before …
He had great grit as a competitor and a helluva putting stroke ... a short pop with firm hands,” Tuohy said. Former Australian Open champion ... «Courier Mail, Jul 15»
8
Dick Polman: Soundbite on Iran outs Scott Walker clueless newbie …
The “Day One” riff is worthless as policy, but it makes for one helluva soundbite. It's red meat fit for chewing, a surefire vote-getter, but it outs ... «Janesville Gazette, Jul 15»
9
Hiring the unhireable: Vive La Difference! - TechSpective
If we were, it would be one helluva boring place. For example, security geeks like to argue; that's just a part of what we do. Just because I have ... «TechSpective, Jul 15»
10
Secret Wars Spoilers & Review: Siege #1 By Kieron Gillen, Filipe …
3,682 days: Helluva lot more than 525,600 minutes! Multiply that by ten and a bit!! 250 x ???: The dimensions for the Shield. The height alone is ... «Inside Pulse, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Helluva [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/helluva>. Jun 2026 ».
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