hallo
German, interjection
hallo is spelled H-A-L-L-O (5 letters) and appears 115 times per million words in written German, the 756th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Hallo is a German interjection meaning “a general greeting used when meeting someone” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Hallo is a different word: “hullabaloo, cheering (often welcoming or celebratory)”.
What does hallo mean in English?
interjection
- 1
a general greeting used when meeting someone
- 2
an initial response when picking up a phone call
- 3
a call for response to try and catch someone's attention
Hallo, Sie haben Ihr Gepäck vergessen!
- 4
used to express bewilderment
Ich meine, hallo? Was glaubt der eigentlich, wer er ist?
noun
- 1
informalneuterhullabaloo, cheering (often welcoming or celebratory)
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
noun: 1. lautes Rufen; fröhliches, lautes Durcheinander
phrase: 1. ein Anruf, mit dem man andere, auch Fremde, auf sich aufmerksam machen will 2. als Grußwort mit unverbindlichem Charakter 3. Grußwort am Telefon
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of hallo
- Hallos genitive
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to hallo
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is hallo in German?
hallo appears 115 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).