pass up

/pɑːs ˈʌp/

//pɑːs ˈʌp// verb

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

The verdict

“pass 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 refuse (not accept); forgo.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pass-up · pass up · English

pass up · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" 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.

Key facts for pass up
PropertyValue
Headwordpass up
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɑːs ˈʌp/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pass up” in English

pass upranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pass up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /pɑːs ˈʌp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

pass up doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is pass up, spelled P-A-S-S- -U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To refuse (not accept); forgo.
  2. 2
    To submit (hand in) items to a person, usually one's teacher.
  3. 3
    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see pass, up.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He passed up my invitation for dinner, saying he was too busy.
  2. Everton were, perhaps understandably, deflated at the setback and it was no surprise when Suarez added Liverpool's second after 82 minutes. Distin and Baines were involved in a mix-up as the Uruguayan advanced into the area, and he was not about to pass up the gift to shoot low past Howard.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pass up"?
"pass up" is spelled P-A-S-S- -U-P. The IPA pronunciation is /pɑːs ˈʌp/.
What does "pass up" mean?
As a verb, "pass up" means: To refuse (not accept); forgo.
How do you pronounce "pass up"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pass up" is /pɑːs ˈʌp/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pass up" come from?
"pass up" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list