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German · Exclamations & Outbursts

Was zum Teufel?

VASS tsoom TOY-fel · /vas t͡sʊm ˈtɔɪ.fl̩/

What the hell? / What the devil?

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"What to the devil?"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

The German "what the hell" — "Teufel" (devil) is the traditional slot, and it works for "who/where/why the hell" too ("Wer zum Teufel bist du?"). A spicier, more modern swap is "Was zum Geier?" (what the vulture) for something milder, or the borrowed "Was zur Hölle?" (what to the hell) which has crept in from English dubs.

Heard in the wild

Was zum Teufel machst du auf meinem Dach?

What the hell are you doing on my roof?

Where it lands

Germany, Austria, Switzerland — universal

Quick answers

What does "Was zum Teufel?" mean?
In German, "Was zum Teufel?" means "What the hell? / What the devil?". Literally it's "What to the devil?". The German "what the hell" — "Teufel" (devil) is the traditional slot, and it works for "who/where/why the hell" too ("Wer zum Teufel bist du?"). A spicier, more modern swap is "Was zum Geier?" (what the vulture) for something milder, or the borrowed "Was zur Hölle?" (what to the hell) which has crept in from English dubs.
Is "Was zum Teufel?" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
How do you pronounce "Was zum Teufel?"?
Say it "VASS tsoom TOY-fel" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: vas t͡sʊm ˈtɔɪ.fl̩.

Related in German

Quatsch! KVATCH Nonsense! / Rubbish! / No way! Ach du Scheiße! AKH doo SHY-suh Oh shit! / Oh crap! Mein Gott! MINE GOT My God! / Oh my God! Autsch! OWTCH Ouch! / Ow! Heilige Scheiße! HY-lig-uh SHY-suh Holy shit! Scheiße! SHY-suh Shit! / Damn! — the all-purpose German expletive

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Unbelievable".

how to say "Unbelievable" →how to say "No way" →

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