was zur Hölle
In German, the phrase "what the hell" is translated as was zur Hölle. Wiktionary also lists was zum Teufel?
Meaning: an intensive form of what (phrase)
Ways to say it
| German |
|---|
| was zur Hölle |
| was zum Teufel? |
Both was zur Hölle and was zum Teufel are used as intensive forms of the word "what".
What does it mean word for word?
In was zur Hölle, the word zur is a contraction of zu der (to the), so the phrase literally means "what to the hell". In was zum Teufel, zum is a contraction of zu dem (to the), making the literal translation "what to the devil".
Which one should you use?
While both function as intensifiers, was zur Hölle translates to "what the hell" and was zum Teufel translates to "what the devil".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Both was zur Hölle and was zum Teufel are informal and should be avoided in formal or professional settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase was zur Hölle is used as an adverbial intensifier and does not change its form based on the verb it modifies.
Did you know?
- The word Hölle comes from an ancient root meaning 'to cover' or 'to hide', which is the opposite of how we typically think of a hell that is open and fiery.
- If you were to use these phrases in a formal setting, they would sound significantly more aggressive or unrefined than the English 'what the hell' might sound in certain casual English contexts.
- Because was zur Hölle is an intensifier, it can be placed at the end of a question to add a sense of desperation or anger.
Examples in context
- Was zur Hölle tust du da?What the hell are you doing?This sentence uses was zur Hölle.Tatoeba #8641042 by Melang, translation #432291 by JnRouvignac
- Was zur Hölle ist denn hier los?What the hell is going on here?Tatoeba #5133819 by dispy, translation #1238316 by darinmex
- Was zur Hölle wirst du damit tun?What the hell are you going to do with it?Tatoeba #460133 by landano, translation #27514 by AMIKEMA
- Was zum Teufel hast du gerade gesagt?What the hell did you just say?
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Julia find a broken window in their living room.
- JulianWas zur Hölle ist hier passiert?What the hell happened here?
- JuliaIch weiß es nicht, Julian.I don't know, Julian.
- JulianDas Fenster ist komplett zertrümmert.The window is completely smashed.
- JuliaDas ist wirklich schrecklich.That is truly terrible.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what the hell” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Hölle, Teufel, was, zum, zur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
