bring up

verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"bring-up" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bring up” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bring, up: To bring from a lower to a higher position.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bring-up · bring up · English

bring up · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for bring up
PropertyValue
Headwordbring up
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bring up” in English

bring upranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bring up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 12 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for bring up, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bryngen up, dissimilated from Middle English upbryngen (“to bring up, raise”). Doublet of upbring. The correct English form is bring up, spelled B-R-I-N-G- -U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bring, up: To bring from a lower to a higher position.
  2. 2
    To mention.
  3. 3
    To raise or rear (children).
  4. 4
    To uncover, to bring from obscurity; to resurface (e.g. a memory)
  5. 5
    To turn on power or start, as of a machine.
  6. 6
    To check (a newly-assembled printed circuit board) for errors.
  7. 7
    To vomit.
  8. 8
    To stop or interrupt a flow or steady motion.
  9. 9
    To reach a particular score, especially a milestone.
  10. 10
    To legally charge and put on trial; to position (someone) for judgement or examination by authority.
  11. 11
    To level type or make it ready for printing by overlaying it.
  12. 12
    To prepare a vein for an injection.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how bring up appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. When you're in the basement, can you bring up the paints?
  2. "[…]and as Mr. H., with his long purse and his willingness to receive hints, is no bad card in the game, he has been brought up to Abbotsford for a week; his taciturnity has long ago fled, and he is one of the most loquacious Borderers going. […]"

Etymology

From Middle English bryngen up, dissimilated from Middle English upbryngen (“to bring up, raise”). Doublet of upbring.

Synonyms

bring back

This word in other languages

levantar(Español)élever(Français)hochbringen(Deutsch)criar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bring up"?
"bring up" is spelled B-R-I-N-G- -U-P.
What does "bring up" mean?
As a verb, "bring up" means: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bring, up: To bring from a lower to a higher position.
What is the origin of the word "bring up"?
From Middle English bryngen up, dissimilated from Middle English upbryngen (“to bring up, raise”). Doublet of upbring. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list