on the up-and-up
"on-the-up-and-up" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“on the up-and-up” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 16
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Legitimate; honest; upright.
Corpus desk
Index EN-on-the-up-and-up · on the up-and-up · English
on the up-and-up · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 16 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "O" 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 | on the up-and-up |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 16 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “on the up-and-up” in English
Rare enough to double-check
on the up-and-up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for on the up-and-up, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: First use appears in the US c. 1863. Its exact origins are uncertain, but it is theorized to have originated in sports betting. The correct English form is on the up-and-up, spelled O-N- -T-H-E- -U-P---A-N-D---U-P.
Definition
- 1Legitimate; honest; upright.
- 2Becoming more successful; on the rise.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how on the up-and-up appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Before paying any money, make sure the organization is on the up-and-up.
You double-cross me, you son of a bitch. I bet English gave you a sawbuck so he could take her out and give her a jump, and you sit back there collecting fifty bucks from me becuss^([sic]) I'm sap enough to think you're on the up-and-up with me.
Etymology
First use appears in the US c. 1863. Its exact origins are uncertain, but it is theorized to have originated in sports betting.
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.