Northern California's Slang 'Hella' Added to Merriam-Webster New Edition

If you are from the Bay Area or have lived in Northern California for any length of time you have probably heard it used as part of the local dialect. Radio personalities use it, kids in high school say it, people describe their excessive hunger by embellishing with it. Hella, which can be used as an adverb or adjective, was among 2,000 new words selected this year by the editors at Merriam-Webster.

It is not uncommon to hear someone in the East Bay use it to describe the weather conditions saying, “It was hella hot today.”

The G-rated version “hecka” is also popular with the younger Bay Area generation but didn’t make the highly respected dictionary publisher's cut.

So where the heck did hella come from? Many believe it is an adaptation of the word helluva, according to Dictionary.com. The word is rumored to have originated in the Hayward area while some sources say it started in Oakland. One thing we know for certain is that we are hella proud to finally have our word validated.

Many of the words chosen have been tracked by Merriam-Webster staff for years before making the cut, according to a Merriam-Webster blog announcing the new addition.

Dox, athleisure, revenge porn, waggle dance, ICYMI, and urban fantasy also made this year’s list.