build up
verb
build up is spelled B-U-I-L-D-U-P: 7 letters. People search “build-up vs buildup” about 30 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, build up means “To erect; to construct” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in build up?
| Letters | 7: B-U-I-L-D-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 build up?
- Australia
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-build_up.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with build up
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: buildup (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of build up
- builds up present, singular, he/she/it
- building up participle, present
- built up participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does build up mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To erect; to construct.
Near-synonym: build out
- 2
To close up by building.
to build up a door
- 3
To accumulate: to increase incrementally or continually.
Ever since the secretary left, the letters in my inbox have started to build up.
- 4
To strengthen.
They had to build up their fortress to protect against attack.
- 5
In solitaire card games, to place a card over another card of lower value. (e.g., place 5♦ over 4♣)
noun
- 1
Alternative form of buildup.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Build up in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | s'accumuler, s'entasser, s'empiler , renforcer |
| German | sich ansammeln, sich türmen , aufbauen |
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 build up come from?
Deverbal from build up.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).