Heck

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Heck

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

exclamation, noun, and adverb

Pronunciation

hek  /hɛk/

Definition

A mild exclamation of surprise, dismay, or frustration — a euphemistic substitute for 'hell'. Also used as an intensifier: a heck of a lot. In some dialects, heck also names the lower part of a door or a rack for drying fish.

Plain meaning

Heck is a mild swear word — a polite way of saying hell when you are surprised or frustrated. What the heck, a heck of a lot, heck no: each uses heck as an emphatic but socially acceptable intensifier.

Register

Informal and mild. Heck is safe in almost any social context — the mildest of the hell euphemisms, suitable for use in front of children and in professional settings where stronger language would be inappropriate.