German word

hell

Pronunciation

IPA/hɛl/

Meaning

  • adjectivebright

Example

Er trägt ein helles Hemd.

He is wearing a bright shirt.

Illustration for hell (bright)

More examples

Er kauft ein helles Hemd für das Meeting.

He is buying a bright shirt for the meeting.

Core concept

Daylight streaming through a window and making the room easy to see.

Common phrases

  • helles Hemd

    bright shirt

  • helle Stimmung

    bright mood

Similar words

dunkel: Having little light, with shadows making the surroundings hard to see.

Definition in German

Ausdrückt, dass viel Licht vorhanden ist und etwas nicht dunkel ist.

Word origin

The modern adjective hell continues the Old High German form hell and the Middle High German form hel, both used for brightness or clarity.

Usage tips

  • As an attributive adjective, hell takes an ending in forms such as ein helles Hemd, but it remains unchanged after sein: Das Hemd ist hell.

Other meanings

  • lightadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • hellhörigsensitive to soundadjective
  • hellwachwide awakeadjective

Word lists with this word