light up
"light-up" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“light 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) - To illuminate, to bring light to something, to brighten.
Corpus desk
Index EN-light-up · light up · English
light 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 "L" 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 | light up |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “light up” in English
Rare enough to double-check
light up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 11 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for light up in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: Phrasal verb from light (“to make bright, ignite”, verb) + up (“to a higher degree”, adverb). The correct English form is light up, spelled L-I-G-H-T- -U-P.
Definition
- 1To illuminate, to bring light to something, to brighten.
- 2To start to emit light; to become activated as a light source.
- 3To show an increase in activity or a brightening of mood.
- 4To ignite.
- 5To light a cigarette, pipe, etc.
- 6To light a cigarette, pipe, etc. for (someone).
- 7To make happy.
- 8To introduce (someone to something), to make someone aware of or interested in something; turn on.
- 9To open fire on a target or group of targets, especially with rockets, a flamethrower, etc.
- 10To shock (someone) with a stun gun.
- 11To activate the emergency sirens on a police vehicle in order to pull someone over.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how light up appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The deafening claps of thunder and the dazzling flashes of lightning which lit up the ghastly scene testified that the artillery of heaven had lent its supernatural pomp to the already gruesome spectacle.
I've never seen a supernova blow up, but if it's anything like my old Chevy Nova, it'll light up the night sky.
Etymology
Phrasal verb from light (“to make bright, ignite”, verb) + up (“to a higher degree”, adverb).
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.