keep up
"keep-up" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“keep 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
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating or falling.
Corpus desk
Index EN-keep-up · keep up · English
keep up · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "K" 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | keep up |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “keep up” in English
Rare enough to double-check
keep up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for keep up in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English kepen up (“to perpetuate, maintain, preserve”), equivalent to keep + up. The correct English form is keep up, spelled K-E-E-P- -U-P.
Definition
- 1To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating or falling.
- 2To continue with (work, etc).
- 3To stay even or ahead.
- 4To ensure that one remains well-informed about something.
- 5To prevent someone from going to bed or to sleep
- 6To use capital letters as much as reasonable.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how keep up appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The NRA is pumping groundwater into the River Itchen in Hampshire to keep up its flow and is trying to save three streams, the Tong, the Little Stour and the Dour from going dry this summer.
Non obstante the Change of Religion, the Plough-boies, and also the Schooleboies will keep-up and retain their old Ceremonies and Customes and priviledges.
Etymology
From Middle English kepen up (“to perpetuate, maintain, preserve”), equivalent to keep + up.
Synonyms
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.