buildup
/ˈbɪldʌp/noun
buildup is spelled B-U-I-L-D-U-P: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “build-up vs buildup” about 30 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, buildup means “An accumulation; an increase; a gradual development” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of buildup is buildups.
How many letters and syllables are in buildup?
| Letters | 7: B-U-I-L-D-U-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 common is buildup?
Buildup appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce buildup?
- /ˈbɪldʌp/
Buildup has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-buildup.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with buildup
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: build-up (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of buildup
- buildups plural
- build-up
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does buildup mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 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: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Buildup in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense accumulation:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | accumulation, affluence |
| German | Ansammlung, Aufbau, Anstieg, Zunahme, schrittweise Entstehung, allmähliche Entwicklung |
| Spanish | prolegómeno, preámbulo, exordio, proemio, prolegómenos |
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 buildup come from?
Deverbal from build up.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).