Build up or buildup?
build up is a verb meaning “To erect; to construct”; buildup is a noun meaning “An accumulation; an increase; a gradual development”. Use build up as a verb and buildup as a noun. build up is written as two words and buildup as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between build up and buildup?
| build up | buildup | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb, noun | noun |
| Meaning | To erect; to construct To close up by building | An accumulation; an increase; a gradual development The construction of a composite core to repair a damaged tooth |
| Example | Near-synonym: build out | Snow buildup on roads makes for hazardous driving |
| Forms | none | buildups |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈbɪldʌp/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | 2.3 times per million words |
Sources: build up and buildup in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of build up and buildup
build up
- 1
To erect; to construct
Near-synonym: build out
- 2
Alternative form of buildup
- 3
To close up by building
to build up a door
- 4
To accumulate: to increase incrementally or continually
Ever since the secretary left, the letters in my inbox have started to build up
- 5
To strengthen
They had to build up their fortress to protect against attack
- 6
In solitaire card games, to place a card over another card of lower value. (e.g., place 5♦ over 4♣)
buildup
- 1
An accumulation; an increase; a gradual development
Snow buildup on roads makes for hazardous driving
- 2
The construction of a composite core to repair a damaged tooth
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, build up or buildup?
build up is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; buildup 2.3 times per million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search build up vs buildup?
“build up vs buildup” is searched about 30 times a month on Google and 10 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“buildup vs build up”, “build up or buildup”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.