TextRanch

The best way to perfect your writing.

Discover why 1,062,726 users count on TextRanch to get their English corrected!

1. Input your text below.
2. Get it corrected in a few minutes by our editors.
3. Improve your English!

One of our experts will correct your English.

It was hell. vs It was like hell.

Both phrases are correct, but they convey slightly different meanings. 'It was hell' is a straightforward statement indicating a very difficult or unpleasant situation. 'It was like hell' implies a comparison, suggesting that the situation felt similar to being in hell.

Last updated: March 25, 2024 • 1138 views

It was hell.

This phrase is correct and commonly used to describe a very difficult or unpleasant situation.

This phrase is used to express that a situation was extremely challenging, unpleasant, or distressing.

Examples:

The traffic jam was hell.
The exam was hell.
The project deadline was hell.
Dealing with the customer complaints was hell.
The heatwave was hell.

Show examples from the web [+]

From that point on it was hell.
I changed my name, moved, and it was hell.
One day it was normal; the next day it was hell.
The ghetto had been a purgatory, now it was hell.
I mean, it was really hell.
You're the apple of my eye, but it was really hell.
I thought it was just another hell.
I thought it was just another hell.
Yeah, it was hell for me.
As a member of the guerilla, it was hell for him.
But it was hell here too.
No. It was hell on earth.
Because it was an excursion to hell.
It was like shutting down hell.
It was a scene from hell.
Yeah, it was hideous, pure hell.
Yeah, it was colder than hell.
I don't know what he used, but it was hot as hell.
As a member of the guerilla, it was hell for him.
It was hell living with her. ...

Alternatives:

it was terrible.
it was awful.
it was unbearable.
it was a nightmare.
it was torture.

It was like hell.

This phrase is correct and is used to compare a situation to the experience of being in hell.

This phrase is used to convey that a situation felt similar to being in a very difficult, painful, or unpleasant place.

Examples:

The pain was like hell.
The waiting room was like hell.
The noise was like hell.
The loneliness was like hell.
The chaos was like hell.

Show examples from the web [+]

It was like shutting down hell.
And in the ring, when you see later, when they're all circling around, if those two black horses ever got next to each other, it was like all hell broke loose.
It was very faint - almost like a ghost image - and l looked like hell.
It was an open casket and she looked like hell.
Of course, it was a BB gun... but still, it woulïve hurt like hell.
The heat was like hell on Earth.
So, it was a real mess, but while we walked down, we run down like hell.
Actually, this place looks like hell.
He keeps forgetting things, he looks like hell.
Well, it hurts like hell.
Granny and daddy is nagging like hell.
This fracture of the ulna would have hurt like hell.
Let's not start with words like hell.
Listen, you may feel like hell.
After that, I ran like hell.
Then we plant our bomb and run like hell.
So, the C.O.'s screaming like hell.
And if your first impulse is to lie, you better fucking resist like hell.
They say: To get something you must want it like hell.
To get something you must be scared like hell.

Alternatives:

it was as bad as hell.
it was reminiscent of hell.
it was akin to hell.
it was hellish.
it was hell-like.

Related Comparisons

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

Why choose TextRanch?

Lowest prices
Up to 50% lower than other online editing sites.

Fastest Times
Our team of editors is working for you 24/7.

Qualified Editors
Native English experts for UK or US English.

Top Customer Service
We are here to help. Satisfaction guaranteed!