start-up
"start-up" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“start-up” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - 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) - Alternative spelling of startup.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | start-up |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “start-up” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for start-up is 8 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Alternative spelling of startup.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for start-up, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from start up. The correct English form is start-up, spelled S-T-A-R-T---U-P.
Definition
- 1Alternative spelling of startup.
Etymology
Deverbal from start 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
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Using “start-up”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-T-A-R-T---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.