tear up

/ˈtɛəɹ ˈʌp/

//ˈtɛəɹ ˈʌp// verb

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

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

The verdict

“tear 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 May 6, 2026) - To tear into pieces.

Key facts for tear up
PropertyValue
Headwordtear up
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈtɛəɹ ˈʌp/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tear up” sits in English frequency

tear 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

tear up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈtɛəɹ ˈʌp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for tear up, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: See: tear (“to rip, shred”). The correct English form is tear up, spelled T-E-A-R- -U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To tear into pieces.
  2. 2
    To cancel or annul, or to cause the cancellation or annulment of (e.g. an agreement or contract).
  3. 3
    To damage.
  4. 4
    To succeed dramatically in (an area of endeavor) or against.
  5. 5
    To wrench out of the ground.
  6. 6
    To have intense penetrative sex with.
  7. 7
    To brutally assault.

Etymology

See: tear (“to rip, shred”).

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 "tear up"?
"tear up" is spelled T-E-A-R- -U-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛəɹ ˈʌp/.
What does "tear up" mean?
As a verb, "tear up" means: To tear into pieces.
How do you pronounce "tear up"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tear up" is /ˈtɛəɹ ˈʌp/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "tear up"?
See: tear (“to rip, shred”). 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 “tear up”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-E-A-R- -U-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtɛəɹ ˈʌp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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