break up
verb, noun
break up is spelled B-R-E-A-K-U-P: 7 letters. People search “break-up vs breakup” about 10 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, break up means “To break or separate into pieces” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in break up?
| Letters | 7: B-R-E-A-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 break up?
- Australia
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-break_up.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with break up
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: breakup (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of break up
- breaks up present, singular, he/she/it
- breaking up participle, present
- broke up past
- broken up participle, past
- break-up
- break ups plural
- break-ups plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does break up mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To break or separate into pieces.
Break up the cheese and put it in the salad.
- 2
To break or separate into pieces; to disintegrate or come apart.
It broke up when it hit the ground.
- 3
To upset greatly; to cause great emotional disturbance or unhappiness in.
- 4
To end a (usually romantic or sexual) relationship.
She broke up with her boyfriend last week.
- 5
To end a (usually romantic or sexual) relationship with each other.
Jane and Stephen broke up.
- 6
To dissolve; to part.
The meeting finally broke up after a three-hour discussion.
- 7
Of a school, to close for the holidays at the end of term.
- 8
Of a conversation, to cease to be understandable because of a bad connection; of a signal, to deteriorate.
You're breaking up. Can you repeat that? Well, it got cut off.
noun
- 1
Alternative spelling of breakup.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of breakup.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Break up in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rompre, couper , se casser, se briser, se rompre |
| Spanish | separar, cisionar , romperse , terminar, romper, partir peras |
| German | auseinander gehen, Schluss machen |
| Portuguese | terminar, acabar |
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 break up come from?
Deverbal from break up.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).