jävla
What does “jävla” mean in English?
It's an intensifier similar to 'damn' or 'fucking'. It literally translates to 'devilish', which adds a bit of flair to the insult.
Literally “devilish”
You’ll often hear it before another word to amp up the insult or exclamation, making it a bit stronger than just saying 'damn'.
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Related Swedish words
jävlar
3/5 · VulgarThis is an exclamation used to express surprise, anger, or emphasis, similar to saying 'damn' in English. Literally, it translates to 'devils.'
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.
förbannad
2/5 · CoarseIt means angry, and can also be used as an intensifier to emphasize frustration. The literal translation is 'cursed', but that’s less common in everyday use.
fan
2/5 · CoarseIt's a common exclamation similar to 'damn.'
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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 FlacSy/BadWords, washyourmouthoutwithsoap (MIT AND CC-BY-4.0, MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.