Today we go down a long road of discovery regarding the world’s most famous salutation: the good ol’ “hello.” At the same time, we thoroughly demystify the concept of “hellow”: what it is or isn’t when to use it, and even if it even is a real word to begin with.
Bad grammar and spelling are really becoming “a thing” these days. Text culture, poor education, lack of interest or just the perpetual pursuit of whatever sounds “cool” makes people perpetuate badly spelled words just like “hellow.”
In short, “hellow” is not a word. It’s a misspelling from the greeting word “hello”. Just like “hullo”, it’s one of those wrong ways to write things that probably start as trying to mimic the phonetics of the word. But it has no rules of use. It’s not a word, it just doesn’t exist.
“Hello” is probably one of the single most used and recognized of words, not only in the English language but in general. People of all ethnic backgrounds, of all mother languages, from most (if not all) countries in the world at the very least say “hello” (as a question or as an exclamation), when they pick up the phone. Let’s see if we can get a better grasp of the word, at the same time as we try to find evidence, if any, of what exactly is “hellow,” if it even is something at all.
Hello, Is It Me You’re Looking For?
Hola! Aloha! Ciao! Shalom! The word “Hello” is a noun, defined by Merriam-Webster in its renowned and highly reliable dictionary as “an expression or gesture of greeting, used interjectionally in greeting, in answering the telephone, or to express surprise.” Oxford Languages dictionary describes it as an exclamation “used as a greeting or to begin a phone conversation,” “as a cry to attract someone’s attention,” or as “an expression or sarcasm or anger.” Finally, the Cambridge Dictionary, confirming that it is an exclamation and a noun, explains that it is “used when meeting or greeting someone,” “something that is said at the beginning of a phone conversation,” “something that is said to attract someone’s attention,” something that is “said to someone who has just said or done something stupid, especially something that shows they are not noticing what is happening,” as well as “an expression or surprise.”
Etymology And Synonyms Of The Word “Hello”
It is recorded by The Oxford English Dictionary that the first known and recorded use of the word “hello” dates as back as 1826 on the October edition of the Norwich Courier of Connecticut, later on made famous when Thomas Edison made it as commonly used as it is today, by proposing it as a way to answer the phone, which he perfected after its invention by Alexander Graham Bell (who encouraged people to answer it saying ‘ahoy’ instead). As this became popular, phone operators started being known as “hello girls.”
It seems to be, according to Oxford, originated as an alteration or “hallo” or “hollo,” derived from the old German words “halâ” and “holâ,” which are also related to the French “holà,” which is an interjection meaning, roughly, ‘whoa!’.
Some words that mean the same or can be used within the same context or purpose as hello are, of course, “hi.” Hi is universal, well-known, short, sweet, and gets the job done. If you’re fancy, you may go with “greetings,” or if you’re a southerner, your choice may be “howdy.” The important thing is to be polite and courteous every time we encounter someone, pick up the phone or enter a place.
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The Case Of Phonetic Spelling
Phonetic spelling, if the way the sound of each letter and syllable is represented graphically. The sound made when spoken, whether as an isolated letter or how that letter sounds combined within a word. This is an actual system in which symbols represent sounds. This is particularly useful for people looking to learn how to speak a new language or when confusions arise regarding the correct pronunciation of a specific word that may cause conflict.
“Hellow” is not quite proper phonetic spelling, but is a sort of casual type of phonetic spelling. When spoken, the word “hello” does sound like “hellow” in how it is pronounced. This sort of “fake word” is very common within the text culture, in that it is common for words to be cut off, others to be reduced to initials, and some others are simply spelled incorrectly as an effort to be cool.
“Hello” In Pop Culture
Hello has been very present throughout history, and especially in popular culture in the last decades. From movie titles, music (Hello by Adele or Lionel Richie, or Prince’s, print media (Hello! Magazine), cartoon characters (Hello Kitty), and even airlines, “Hello” is a happy word very present in our day-to-day life.
When To Say Hello?
Hello! Welcome to this wonderful section, where we will explore the uses of the word hello in our daily life.
- “Hello” is a greeting, and “greetings” is one of its synonyms.
- Whether you say “hello,” or “hi,” or “greetings,” or “howdy,” to greet is a sign of politeness and good manners.
- “Hello” is a song by singer-songwriter Adele, but it is also a different song by Lionel Richie, another from Kelly Clarkson, and an electronic track by Martin Solveig.
- Yet also Beyoncé, Eminem, Erykah Badu, Evanescense, J. Cole, LL Cool J, Prince, T. I., Will. I.Am and Zooey Deschanel have songs called “Hello;” among many other artists that are less known.
- Hello! Magazine is a celebrity publication found in many English-speaking countries, such as England, Canada, Thailand, and the United States. It is the English version of the “Revista Hola!,” available in many Spanish-speaking countries, with the same kind of content.
- I mean, hello! I’m sure you obviously knew all this already, but I’m just freshening your general culture knowledge a bit.
- I say “hello!” when I enter a room, when I pick up the phone, and when my child wakes up in the morning. I ask, “Hello?” When I’m not sure who’s on the other side of the line when I hear someone calling my name, but I don’t recognize their voice.
- Every time I go to the Doctor, I read Hello! Magazine to catch up with the newest gossip in town.
To Wrap It Up
We already knew “hello” was a very broadly used and common word. At the very least, as an educated estimate, the vast majority of the world’s population answers their phones saying “hello!” or “hello?”. Perhaps it would be interesting to poll this, although it’s perhaps somewhat irrelevant as far as data goes, in the grand scheme of world problems. We definitely need to thank Thomas Edison for how we answer our phones because whether it was a good or bad idea, we’re stuck with it now.
A good “hello” at the beginning of a conversation can convey your attitude towards the matter being discussed or the people you’re discussing the matter with.
What does not and will never ever exist is the word “hellow,” We wish we could tell you more, but it really is a phantom. One of those words that spread on the down-low makes people feel ‘cool’ or even trendy when using it, while all it really did all this time was made clear that the person using it may not have been formally educated or know much about language in general.
We hope to see you soon and that you keep up the decency. This world needs more people saying a proper “hello” to one another.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.