Heaps

How do people say it?

• There are heaps of seats on the early train.Listen
• Thanks heaps for the lift.Listen

What should I know?

Who can say it

Cambridge and American Heritage label it informal. In a formal letter, write a lot or very much.

Where you hear it

Australia

Elsewhere you might say

UK: loads, lots. US: a ton, lots.

Heaps is a small, flexible word. It can stand for a large amount of something you can count, as in heaps of people at the beach. It can also stand for something you cannot count, as in heaps of time.

It also works like very much at the end of a sentence: I like it heaps. Do not mix it up with the English noun heap, a pile; here the word only describes a large amount.

Cambridge and American Heritage label heaps informal, so it suits speech and casual messages. The one place to hold back is writing that has to sound formal.

That means a cover letter, a report or a legal letter. There, a lot of or a large number of reads better. In a text message to a workmate it is fine.

At a shop you might hear, thanks heaps, have a good one. At a new job a colleague may tell you there is heaps of time before the meeting. A teacher could say you have made heaps of progress.

On the phone, I'd love that, thanks heaps is a friendly way to end the call. In each case heaps sits exactly where a lot of or very much would normally stand.

Loads, lots and a lot of mean the same as heaps. On Australian radio and television you will meet it in weather reports, sport talk and adverts. It is a good first Australian word to try, because the risk of using it wrongly is very small.

What else can I say?

• Sheila A woman or girl, in old-fashioned talk.
• No worries It is fine; do not worry about it.

More examples

• At a new job: We learned heaps in the first week.Listen