using coo coo’s examples: I’m wicked tired. she’s wicked ugly. there’s wicked tools in that car. (out east they’re tools)

i’m extremely tired. she’s extremely ugly. there’s extremely tools in that car.

directly translated wicked works better with the first two and hella sounds more correct with the third and vice versa.

“hell of a lot of tired” and “hell of a lot of ugly” are a stretch.

maybe they’re not as interchangeable as once thought. they can coexist.

we’ve established that wicked can be used as an adjective and an adverb.

how about hella?

is wicked more versatile?

I think it was that missing bit, plus it probably sounded different than it reads: “There’s probly hella southurn gennelmen challengin’ ea-chother to hella duels on there.”

And yes, you’re right: “Hella” = “a lot of” or “really” (as in “very/much”). What people are actually saying when they say “hella” is “hell of a lot of”, but you probably figured that out.

Ex: I’m hella tired; She’s hella ugly; There’s hella fools in that car. = I’m a hell of a lot of tired; She’s a hell of a lot of ugly; There’s a hell of a lot of fools in that car.

So when it’s used in a context where “hell of (a lot of)” wouldn’t make sense, it sounds off.

“I hella forgot” sounds like forgetting on a grand scale, I guess. I wouldn’t say it, myself. Maybe I’m just old but it doesn’t make sense because how can you “hell of a lot forget”?

It sounds like the kid was saying “I hella forgot” the way I say “I totally forgot” or “I completely forgot” which I guess is ok.

No “wicked hella”. It should be “hella wicked”.

“I stayed up hecka late to watch Planet Earth and this crazy-ass bird in Africa was doin’ this helllla crazy mating dance. Man, it was hehhhcka crazy! It was doing this hecka weird thing with it’s feathers.

It was hella wicked.”

But the hella quote, in context, a paddlewheel boat goes by on the bay and I say to this guy, “looks like Mark Twains coming”, and he says, well, you know what he said. He said, “there’s probably hella southern gentlemen challenging each other to hella duels on there.”

I’d love to hear your opinion on what exactly is off. Is it not to be used in place of a lot? Can’t it be used in exchange for “very”? How about the kid at the gas station i heard say, “I hella forgot.” Is that right?

I wicked hella don’t know myself.

it’s hecka bugging me.