upbraid
/ˌʌpˈbɹeɪd/
"upbraid" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“upbraid” 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 September 3, 2026) - To criticize severely.
Corpus desk
Index EN-upbraid · upbraid · English
upbraid · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "U" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | upbraid |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˌʌpˈbɹeɪd/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “upbraid” in English
Rare enough to double-check
upbraid is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌʌpˈbɹeɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for upbraid in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English upbreyden, from Old English upbreġdan, equivalent to up- + braid. Compare English umbraid (“to upbraid”), Icelandic bregða (“to draw, brandish, braid, deviate from, change, break off, upbraid”). See up, and braid (transitive). The correct English form is upbraid, spelled U-P-B-R-A-I-D.
Definition
- 1To criticize severely.
- 2To charge with something wrong or disgraceful; to reproach
- 3To treat with contempt.
- 4To object or urge as a matter of reproach
- 5To utter upbraidings.
- 6To vomit; retch.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how upbraid appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
How much doth thy kindness upbraid my wickedness!
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
Etymology
From Middle English upbreyden, from Old English upbreġdan, equivalent to up- + braid. Compare English umbraid (“to upbraid”), Icelandic bregða (“to draw, brandish, braid, deviate from, change, break off, upbraid”). See up, and braid (transitive).
This word in other languages
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.