pin-up

noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"pin-up" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pin-up” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A photograph, printed in a magazine or other publication, of a sexually attractive person (often nude or provocatively dressed), and intended to be removed and pinned up on a wall.

Key facts for pin-up
PropertyValue
Headwordpin-up
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pin-up” sits in English frequency

pin-up falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

pin-up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

pin-up doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from pin up, because such a photograph is often extracted from the publication and pinned up on a wall. The correct English form is pin-up, spelled P-I-N---U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A photograph, printed in a magazine or other publication, of a sexually attractive person (often nude or provocatively dressed), and intended to be removed and pinned up on a wall.
  2. 2
    The person so depicted.
  3. 3
    A figurehead, a person who represents an idea, cause, etc.

Etymology

Deverbal from pin up, because such a photograph is often extracted from the publication and pinned up on a wall.

This word in other languages

pin-up(Français)Pin-up(Deutsch)

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 "pin-up"?
"pin-up" is spelled P-I-N---U-P.
What does "pin-up" mean?
As a noun, "pin-up" means: A photograph, printed in a magazine or other publication, of a sexually attractive person (often nude or provocatively dressed), and intended to be removed and pinned up on a wall.
What is the origin of the word "pin-up"?
Deverbal from pin up, because such a photograph is often extracted from the publication and pinned up on a wall. 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.

Using “pin-up”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-I-N---U-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list