Hail vs. Hell — What's the Difference?

Precipitation in the form of ice pellets.

A place of punishment in the afterlife according to various religions.

Ice balls formed during thunderstorms.

A state of eternal torment for the wicked.

Frozen raindrops caused by updrafts in storms.

A realm described in theology as the opposite of heaven.

Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused.

A concept used to teach moral accountability.

Precipitation in the form of spherical or irregular pellets of ice larger than 5 millimeters (0.2 inch) in diameter, usually associated with thunderstorms.

In religion and folklore, hell is an afterlife location in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, often torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as eternal destinations, the biggest examples of which are Christianity and Islam, whereas religions with reincarnation usually depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations, as is the case in the dharmic religions.

Something that falls with the force and quantity of a shower of ice and hard snow

A place regarded in various religions as a spiritual realm of evil and suffering, often traditionally depicted as a place of perpetual fire beneath the earth where the wicked are punished after death

The act of greeting or acclaiming.

Used for emphasis or to express anger, contempt, or surprise

A shout made to catch someone's attention or to greet.

Often Hell The place of eternal punishment for the wicked after death, often imagined as being presided over by Satan and his devils.

Hailing distance

A state of separation from God; exclusion from God's presence.

To precipitate in pellets of ice and hard snow.

The abode of the dead in any of various religious traditions, such as the Hebrew Sheol or the Greek Hades; the underworld.

To fall like hailstones

A situation or place of evil, misery, discord, or destruction

To pour (something) down or forth

An extremely difficult experience; torment or anguish

To salute or greet.

The spirits in hell or the powers of evil

To greet or acclaim enthusiastically

(Informal) One that causes trouble, agony, or annoyance

To call out or yell in order to catch the attention of

A sharp scolding

To signal or call to a passing ship as a greeting or identification.

A tailor's receptacle for discarded material.

Used to express a greeting or tribute.

(Printing) A hellbox.

S or pieces of ice falling as precipitation, often in connection with a thunderstorm.

An outstanding or noteworthy example

An occurrence of this type of precipitation; a hailstorm.

Used as an intensive

A rapid, intense barrage by a large number of projectiles or other objects.

Used for intensive effect in idioms such as beat the hell out of (someone) for beat (someone) very badly.

(impersonal) Of hail, to fall from the sky.

(Archaic) A gambling house.

(intransitive) To send or release hail.

To behave riotously; carouse

To pour down in rapid succession.

Used to express anger, disgust, or impatience.

(transitive) To greet; give salutation to; salute.

A place of torment where some or all sinners and evil spirits are believed to go after death.

(transitive) To name; to designate; to call.

A place or situation of great suffering in life.

(transitive) To call out loudly in order to gain the attention of.

(countable) A place for gambling.

To indicate, from a designated stop or otherwise, to the driver of a public transport vehicle that one wishes to board and travel on the vehicle, usually using hand signals such as waving.

(figuratively) An extremely hot place.

(transitive) To signal in order to initiate communication with.

Used as an intensifier in phrases grammatically requiring a noun.

(obsolete) Healthy, whole, safe.

(obsolete) A place into which a tailor throws shreds, or a printer discards broken type.

An exclamation of respectful or reverent salutation, or, occasionally, of familiar greeting.

Something extremely painful or harmful (to)

Small roundish masses of ice precipitated from the clouds, where they are formed by the congelation of vapor. The separate masses or grains are called hailstones.

Used to express discontent, unhappiness, or anger.

A wish of health; a salutation; a loud call.

Used to emphasize.

To pour down particles of ice, or frozen vapors.

Used to introduce an intensified statement following an understated one; nay; not only that, but.

To pour forcibly down, as hail.

(postpositional) nodot=a or like hell.

To call loudly to, or after; to accost; to salute; to address.

; used to emphasize strongly.

To name; to designate; to call.

To add luster to; to burnish (silver or gold).

To declare, by hailing, the port from which a vessel sails or where she is registered; hence, to sail; to come; - used with from; as, the steamer hails from New York.

(rare) To pour.

To report as one's home or the place from whence one comes; to come; - with from.

The place of the dead, or of souls after death; the grave; - called in Hebrew sheol, and by the Greeks hades.

Healthy. See Hale (the preferable spelling).

The place or state of punishment for the wicked after death; the abode of evil spirits. Hence, any mental torment; anguish.

An exclamation of respectful or reverent salutation, or, occasionally, of familiar greeting.

A place where outcast persons or things are gathered

Precipitation of ice pellets when there are strong rising air currents

To overwhelm.

Enthusiastic greeting

Any place of pain and turmoil;

Praise vociferously;

A cause of difficulty and suffering;

Be a native of;

(Christianity) the abode of Satan and the forces of evil; where sinners suffer eternal punishment;

Call for;

(religion) the world of the dead;

Greet enthusiastically or joyfully

Violent and excited activity;

Precipitate as small ice particles;

Noisy and unrestrained mischief;

A weather event characterized by falling ice.

A metaphor for extreme suffering or an unbearable situation.

Pellets of frozen rain that can cause damage.

Yes, meteorologists can predict conditions likely to produce hail using weather data and models.

Hell is often described as a place of fire, eternal torment, or darkness, meant to house the souls of sinners.

Hail forms when updrafts in thunderstorms carry raindrops into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere, freezing them.

Descriptions of Hell vary widely across different cultures and religions, with no single consensus.

Hail can cause significant damage to crops, vehicles, buildings, and other exposed surfaces.

Some religions, like certain branches of Christianity and Buddhism, depict Hell with various levels or types of suffering.

The concept of Hell often reinforces moral behavior and accountability, influencing cultural and individual ethics.

Hell serves as a warning against immorality and sin, encouraging adherence to moral codes.

Hailstones can range from pea-sized to as large as grapefruits.

During a hailstorm, it is advisable to seek shelter indoors and protect vehicles and other valuables from damage.