power-up

noun

"power-up" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“power-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
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An item that alters the game in a positive way once that item is used.

Key facts for power-up
PropertyValue
Headwordpower-up
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “power-up” sits in English frequency

power-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

power-up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An item that alters the game in a positive way once that item is used.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for power-up, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of Japanese パワーアップ (pawā-appu), equivalent to English power + up The correct English form is power-up, spelled P-O-W-E-R---U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    An item that alters the game in a positive way once that item is used.

Etymology

Calque of Japanese パワーアップ (pawā-appu), equivalent to English power + up

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 "power-up"?
"power-up" is spelled P-O-W-E-R---U-P.
What does "power-up" mean?
As a noun, "power-up" means: An item that alters the game in a positive way once that item is used.
What is the origin of the word "power-up"?
Calque of Japanese パワーアップ (pawā-appu), equivalent to English power + up 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 “power-up”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-W-E-R---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