turn up

verb

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

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

The verdict

“turn 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
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To show up; to appear suddenly or unexpectedly.

Key facts for turn up
PropertyValue
Headwordturn up
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “turn up” sits in English frequency

turn 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 turn up is 7 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 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for turn up, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is turn up, spelled T-U-R-N- -U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To show up; to appear suddenly or unexpectedly.
  2. 2
    To cause to appear; to find by searching, etc.
  3. 3
    To increase the amount of something by means of a control, such as the volume, heat, or light.
  4. 4
    To reposition by rotating, flipping, etc., upwards.
  5. 5
    To belay or make fast (a line on a cleat or pin).
  6. 6
    To party hard, especially when involving alcohol or drugs.
  7. 7
    To acquit.

Antonyms

turn down

This word in other languages

aparecer(Español)arriver(Français)aufkreuzen(Deutsch)aparecer(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 "turn up"?
"turn up" is spelled T-U-R-N- -U-P.
What does "turn up" mean?
As a verb, "turn up" means: To show up; to appear suddenly or unexpectedly.
What language does "turn up" come from?
"turn up" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “turn up”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-U-R-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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list