was zum Henker?
The English phrase "what the heck" can be translated into German as was zum Henker? If unsure, use was zum Henker? Wiktionary also lists was zum Kuckuck?
Meaning: softer form of "what the hell" (phrase)
Ways to say it
| German |
|---|
| was zum Henker? |
| was zum Kuckuck? |
Both was zum Henker? and was zum Kuckuck? are used to express surprise, confusion or mild annoyance.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase was zum Henker?, the word Henker means "executioner". In the phrase was zum Kuckuck?, the word Kuckuck means "cuckoo".
Which one should you use?
was zum Henker? is a common way to say "what the heck?", whereas was zum Kuckuck? is another variation used for similar purposes. For a stronger equivalent closer to "what the hell?", one might use was zum Teufel?
Did you know?
- While was zum Teufel? mentions the 'devil', was zum Henker? replaces a supernatural figure with a human professional to soften the impact of the exclamation.
- was zum Kuckuck? is an example of a 'minced oath', where a shocking word like Teufel is replaced by a harmless animal to avoid sounding vulgar.
- In German, you can extend these phrases by adding den to the middle, such as was zum Henker denn?, to sound more natural in a conversational setting.
Examples in context
- Was zum Henker?What the heck?This sentence demonstrates the use of was zum Henker? to express surprise.Tatoeba #1695442 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1400439 by Spamster
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what the heck” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
