vad fan
/vɑːd faːn/word by word
The English phrase "wtf" is translated into Swedish as vad fan.
vad fan is used as an interjection to express shock, anger or disbelief, similar to the English "WTF".
Meaning: What the fuck (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally "what the devil/demon", where fan (the devil) is used as a swear word equivalent to "the fuck".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
vad fan is a colloquial and vulgar expression.
How does it change in a sentence?
To increase the intensity of the phrase, you can replace fan with i helvete to say vad i helvete (what in hell). In casual speech, the phrase is often truncated or started with vad i… when the speaker is trailing off in disbelief.
How do you pronounce it?
/vɑːd faːn/
Did you know?
- While vad fan is used to express shock, the word fan actually shares its roots with the verb to 'search' or 'examine' through the Proto-Germanic word for 'tempt'.
- The word fan is a close relative of the Danish word fanden and the Norwegian word faen, meaning the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian swear words are all part of the same linguistic family.
Examples in context
- Är du seriös?Are you serious?
- Jag fattar ingentingI don't understand anything
- Vad fan håller du på med?What the fuck are you doing?
- Vad fan händer här?What the fuck is happening here?
- Vad fan sa du?What the fuck did you say?
Example conversation
Linnea sees a huge mess in the kitchen.
- LinneaVad fan har hänt här inne?What the fuck happened in here?
- ErikKatten välte en vas.The cat knocked over a vase.
- LinneaMen vad fan, det är ju överallt!But what the fuck, it is everywhere!
- ErikJag städar det nu, Linnea.I am cleaning it now, Linnea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wtf” translations and entries vad fan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (vad, fan) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fan, vad, CC BY-SA 4.0.
