fuckup

/ˈfʌkʌp/

//ˈfʌkʌp// noun

"fuckup" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fuckup” is uncommon English (frequency #69,064 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,064
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A serious mistake.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fuckup · fuckup · English

fuckup · rank #69,064 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #69,064
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fulford

Nearest frequency peer: Fulford (+1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “fuckup”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “fuckup” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fuckup
PropertyValue
Headwordfuckup
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfʌkʌp/
Letters6
Frequency rank#69,064
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fuckup” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).fuckupfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Fulford” (#69,065), “Frontera” (#69,062), “fumigation” (#69,066). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fuckup” is #69,064. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fuckup is uncommon English at frequency #69,064 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfʌkʌp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

fuckup doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from fuck up. The correct English form is fuckup, spelled F-U-C-K-U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A serious mistake.
  2. 2
    One who continually makes mistakes; a person who fucks up a lot.
  3. 3
    A mentally or emotionally damaged person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Forgetting our anniversary was a major fuckup.
  2. The gate was high; it had been a nine-foot drop; she had landed wrong and broken her arm. Oh Jesus Christ, what a fuckup.

Etymology

Deverbal from fuck up.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fuckup"?
"fuckup" is spelled F-U-C-K-U-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfʌkʌp/.
What does "fuckup" mean?
As a noun, "fuckup" means: A serious mistake.
How do you pronounce "fuckup"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fuckup" is /ˈfʌkʌp/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "fuckup"?
Deverbal from fuck up. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "fuckup", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list