# Hết sức / vô cùng: extremely in Vietnamese (B2)

> Hết sức and vô cùng mean "extremely". They go before an adjective or a feeling verb, usually one of two syllables: hết sức quan trọng (extremely…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/het-suc-vo-cung/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**extremely**

Pattern: `hết sức / vô cùng + [two-syllable adjective or verb]`

Level: B2 (our estimate) · Register: formal

Typed without accents: het suc, vo cung

Variants:

- cực kỳ

*Hết sức* and *vô cùng* mean "extremely". They go before an adjective or a feeling verb, usually one of two syllables: *hết sức quan trọng* (extremely important), *vô cùng biết ơn* (deeply grateful), *hết sức khó khăn* (extremely difficult). *Vô cùng* can also follow: *quan trọng vô cùng*. *Cực kỳ* is a third word of the same kind.

They're stronger and more formal than *rất*. You'll meet them in news reports, official speeches and documents, where a task is *hết sức cấp bách* (extremely urgent) or a family is *vô cùng xúc động* (deeply moved). The thanks at the end of a speech often use them too.

Watch where *hết sức* sits. Before an adjective it means "extremely". After a verb it means "with all your strength": *cố gắng hết sức* (try your hardest), *thi đấu hết sức mình* (give everything in the match). In everyday speech that second use is the common one.

In conversation, "extremely" is usually *rất*, *lắm* or *quá*, and in Saigon *quá trời*. Of the three formal words, *cực kỳ* is the one that also sounds natural in speech, especially among younger people: *Phim này hay cực kỳ.*

## Examples

- Đây là nhiệm vụ hết sức quan trọng trong giai đoạn hiện nay. — This is an extremely important task at the present stage.
- Gia đình nạn nhân vô cùng biết ơn lực lượng cứu hộ. — The victim's family is deeply grateful to the rescue team.
- Việc phát hiện sớm có ý nghĩa vô cùng quan trọng đối với người bệnh. — Early detection matters enormously for patients.
- Tình hình tiêu thụ thanh long của nông dân đang hết sức khó khăn. — Dragon fruit farmers are having an extremely hard time selling their crop.

## Compare

- [Very: rất before the adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/rat-very/): very

Previous in How much, and comparing: [Adjectives with a built-in very: trắng tinh, nặng trịch (no rất)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/intensified-adjectives/)
Next in How much, and comparing: [In a … way: một cách + adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/mot-cach/)

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