screw up

verb

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

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

The verdict

“screw up” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To tighten or secure with screws.

Key facts for screw up
PropertyValue
Headwordscrew up
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “screw up” sits in English frequency

screw 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for screw up is 8 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

screw up has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is screw up, spelled S-C-R-E-W- -U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To tighten or secure with screws.
  2. 2
    To raise by turning a rotary handle.
  3. 3
    To raise (rent, fees, etc.) to extortionate levels.
  4. 4
    To raise or summon up.
  5. 5
    To twist into a contorted state.
  6. 6
    To squint.
  7. 7
    To make a mess of; to ruin.
  8. 8
    To blunder; to make a mistake.

This word in other languages

cagarla(Español)foirer(Français)zuschrauben(Deutsch)cagar no pau(Português)

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 "screw up"?
"screw up" is spelled S-C-R-E-W- -U-P.
What does "screw up" mean?
As a verb, "screw up" means: To tighten or secure with screws.
What language does "screw up" come from?
"screw up" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “screw up”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-C-R-E-W- -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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list