back up
verb
back up is spelled B-A-C-K-U-P: 6 letters. People search “back-up vs backup” about 170 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, back up means “To move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in back up?
| Letters | 6: B-A-C-K-U-P |
|---|---|
| In writing | a phrase: the frequency list counts single words |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you pronounce back up?
- Australia
- General-American
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-back_up.ogg, En-ga-back_up.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with back up
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: backup (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of back up
- backs up present, singular, he/she/it
- backing up participle, present
- backed up participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does back up mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so.
That beeping sound indicates that the truck is backing up.
- 2
To move a vehicle backwards.
Back up the car a little, you're blocking the driveway.
- 3
To undo one's actions.
I couldn't see how to finish the project, so I backed up and tried it another way.
- 4
To reconsider one's thoughts.
This isn't working. Let's back up and think about it.
- 5
To copy (data) so that it can be restored if the main copy is lost.
Back up your documents folder before applying the update.
- 6
To provide support or the promise of support to.
You should be careful. This guy is backed up by the local gang.
- 7
For the non-striker to take a few steps down the pitch, in preparation to taking a run, just as the bowler bowls the ball.
- 8
For a fielder to position himself behind the wicket (relative to a team-mate who is throwing the ball at the wicket) so as to stop the ball, and prevent overthrows.
adjective
- 1
Alternative form of backup
noun
- 1
Alternative form of backup.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Back up in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | reculer , faire marche arrière , sauvegarder, faire une sauvegarde |
| Spanish | retroceder, ciar, recular, recejar, cejar, reblar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does back up come from?
Deverbal from back up.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).