Meaning
A soft word for hell, used to show you are annoyed or surprised without being rude.
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Word origin
A softened form of hell, first recorded in the north of England in the 1800s.
- Origin
- English
- Root
- hell
Examples
?
"What the heck" is a polite version of a stronger question; it shows surprise.
, .
Here "heck" on its own shows the speaker is annoyed with themselves.
.
"A heck of a" makes the next words stronger; it means it was a very good game.
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English · Free printables
heck: worksheet, infographic and listicleThe padlock and Plus mark show a Kilo Lingo Plus feature. Start your free week to unlock it - no card needed.
Free printable study downloads for the English word "heck" (A soft word for hell, used to show you are annoyed or surprised without being rude.): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 26, lesson 4: heck, practically, steel and 7 more words.