# hello

/həˈɫoʊ/ (US) · /həlˈəʊ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hello
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 2. answering the phone

interjection · CEFR A1

the word you use to start a conversation on the telephone.

For teachers: the standard greeting used to initiate a telephonic exchange or to check if a listener is still connected.

- Hello? Is anyone there? I think the signal is very weak.
- She answered the phone with a professional hello, waitng for the caller to identify themselves before continuing.

### 4. puzzlement

interjection · CEFR B2 · British English

used when you find something strange or surprising.

For teachers: an exclamation used to express sudden surprise, discovery, or puzzlement at an unexpected situation.

- Hello, what's this? I didn't leave the front door open.
- Hello, this is strange; the files I saved this morning seem to have vanished from the server.

Teaching tip: This usage is specifically British and can sound slightly old-fashioned or like a character in a detective novel.

### 5. the greeting itself

noun · CEFR A2

the act of saying 'hello' to someone.

For teachers: the utterance of the word 'hello' as a discrete act of greeting.

- She gave me a quick hello as she walked past my desk.
- The host did not even offer a simple hello before asking the visitors to remove their shoes.

### 6. to greet someone

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to say 'hello' to a person.

For teachers: to greet a person by using the word 'hello'.

- He helloed me from across the street, but I couldn't hear him clearly.
- They helloed each other briefly in the hallway before rushing off to their respective meetings.

Usage: The verb form is much less common than the interjection or noun forms.

## Examples

- She gave me a friendly hello as I walked in.
- The children shouted a loud hello to their teacher when she entered the classroom.
- A simple hello can often bridge the social gap between strangers, serving as a low-stakes invitation to further conversation in almost any setting.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.