upfront
/ʌpˈfɹʌnt/adjective, adverb, noun, verb
upfront is spelled U-P-F-R-O-N-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “up-front vs upfront” about 110 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, upfront means “Honest, frank and straightforward” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in upfront?
| Letters | 7: U-P-F-R-O-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.0 times per million words; the 15,368th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is upfront?
Upfront appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce upfront?
- /ʌpˈfɹʌnt/
Upfront has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-upfront.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with upfront
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: up-front (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of upfront
- more upfront comparative
- most upfront superlative
- up-front
- up front
- upfronts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- upfronting participle, present
- upfronted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does upfront mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Honest, frank and straightforward.
- 2
Open, admitted, out.
- 3
In a forward, leading or frontward position.
- 4
Of money, paid in advance.
adverb
- 1
Beforehand.
My commissioners pay half of the price upfront and the other half after they receive the finished product.
- 2
As an attacker.
He's a poor defender, so we always play him upfront.
noun
- 1
A meeting of network executives with the press and major advertisers, signaling the start of advertising sales for a new season.
verb
- 1
To bring to the fore; to place up front for consideration.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Upfront in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense honest, frank and straightforward:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.