för helvete
What does “för helvete” mean in English?
It's an emphatic expression similar to 'for fuck's sake.' It conveys frustration or urgency in a situation.
Literally “for hell”
You might hear it as an intensifier when someone is annoyed or desperate, and it carries a stronger tone than just saying 'for heaven's sake.' It's common in Sweden.
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Related Swedish words
dra åt helvete
4/5 · StrongIt's a strong way to tell someone to fuck off, essentially saying 'go to hell.'
helvete
3/5 · VulgarThis is a strong exclamation that translates to 'hell' and is often used to emphasize a point or express frustration. In some contexts, it can also refer to actual religious discussions without being considered swearing.
jävla
3/5 · VulgarIt's an intensifier similar to 'damn' or 'fucking'. It literally translates to 'devilish', which adds a bit of flair to the insult.
knulla
4/5 · StrongIt means to have sex, specifically in a very crude way. It's a straightforward term for fucking.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via LDNOOBW (CC-BY-4.0). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.