# up to eleven

> English word · Prep_phrase · IPA /ˌʌp tə ɪˈlɛvən/

## Definitions
1. Up to or beyond the maximum possible threshold; to an extremely high or strong degree.

## Etymology
PIE word
 *h₁óynos
The term refers to a scene in the mockumentary This is Spinal Tap (1984), in which the character Nigel Tufnel, the lead guitarist of the band Spinal Tap, shows the director of the documentary Marty DiBergi a guitar amplifier with setting knobs that go from zero to eleven, rather than the standard zero to ten.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/up-to-eleven