It's been 200 years since the word "hello" was first used in print – though its beginnings date back to the 15th Century. How has the language of greetings evolved around the world - and what does it tell us about ourselves?
The word hello feels so ordinary that we rarely stop to think about where it came from. Yet its history stretches back more than six centuries and tells a fascinating story about how language evolves alongside culture, technology, and human interaction. This blog dives deep into the origins of hello, tracing its journey from a loud shout to the world’s most familiar greeting.
Long before it became a polite way to answer the phone or greet a friend, hello existed in many spellings—hullo, hillo, holla, hollo—and served a very different purpose. In Middle English, beginning around the 1400s, these words were used as exclamations to attract attention, express surprise, warn someone, or call across long distances. They were closer in meaning to “hey!” or “look out!” than to a friendly salutation.
The blog explores how these early forms were influenced by Germanic and Nordic languages, where similar cries were used in hunting, travel, and everyday communication. It explains how inconsistent spelling in medieval English allowed multiple versions of the word to coexist, reflecting regional accents and oral traditions rather than fixed rules.
A major turning point came in the 19th century with the invention of the telephone. As people searched for a clear, practical way to begin a phone conversation, hello emerged as the ideal choice—loud, distinct, and easy to recognize. Popularized in part by Thomas Edison, the word quickly became standardized as a greeting, replacing older options like ahoy.
The blog also examines why hello endured while other greetings faded, looking at its sound structure, adaptability, and emotional neutrality. Today, hello is used across cultures, languages, and technologies—from face-to-face conversations to emails, customer service scripts, and digital assistants.
By following the transformation of hello over 600 years, this blog reveals how even the simplest words carry rich histories, shaped by human needs, social change, and innovation. It’s a reminder that everyday language is anything but ordinary.