hell's bells
/ˌhɛlz ˈbɛlz/
"hell-s-bells" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hell's bells” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an interjection - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An expression of frustration, outrage, or surprise.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hell's bells |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Interjection |
| IPA | /ˌhɛlz ˈbɛlz/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hell's bells” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for hell's bells is 12 letters long, classified as an interjection, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌhɛlz ˈbɛlz/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "An expression of frustration, outrage, or surprise.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hell's bells, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From hell + -’s + bells, possibly an elaboration of hell (used to express anger, discontent, or unhappiness) with bells chosen to rhyme with hell’s. The noun sense (Datura stramonium) may allude to the often spiny seed capsules of the poisonous plant which … The correct English form is hell's bells, spelled H-E-L-L-'-S- -B-E-L-L-S.
Definition
- 1An expression of frustration, outrage, or surprise.
Etymology
From hell + -’s + bells, possibly an elaboration of hell (used to express anger, discontent, or unhappiness) with bells chosen to rhyme with hell’s. The noun sense (Datura stramonium) may allude to the often spiny seed capsules of the poisonous plant which somewhat resemble bells when they mature and split open; compare devil's cucumber, devil's snare, devil's trumpet, and devil's weed which are other common names for the plant.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “hell's bells”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-E-L-L-'-S- -B-E-L-L-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌhɛlz ˈbɛlz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.