A word used when you meet someone, answer the phone, or start a conversation. The most common English greeting.

Interjection. Used to start conversations: 'Hello! How are you?' or to answer the phone: 'Hello?' Alternative spellings: hallo, hullo. Common greetings at different times: 'Good morning', 'Good afternoon', 'Good evening'.

Before telephones, people said 'ahoy!' to answer calls. Thomas Edison popularised 'hello' for telephone use in the 1870s. Adele's 2015 song 'Hello' became one of the best-selling singles ever. In Britain, 'Alright?' or 'You alright?' is a very common informal greeting (even if not expecting a full answer).