uphill
/ʌpˈhɪl/adverb, adjective, noun, verb
uphill is spelled U-P-H-I-L-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, uphill means “Up a slope, towards higher ground” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in uphill?
| Letters | 6: U-P-H-I-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in 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).
How common is uphill?
Uphill appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th 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 uphill?
- /ʌpˈhɪl/
As an adjective (“Located up a slope or on a hill”): /ˈʌphɪl/.
Uphill 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-uphill.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-uphill_(adverb).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of uphill
- further uphill comparative
- farther uphill comparative
- furthest uphill superlative
- farthest uphill superlative
- uphills plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- uphilling participle, present
- uphilled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does uphill mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Up a slope, towards higher ground.
- 2
With difficulty.
adjective
- 1
Located up a slope or on a hill.
- 2
Going up a slope or a hill.
- 3
Difficult or laborious.
noun
- 1
An uphill route.
verb
- 1
To travel uphill.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Uphill in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | en montée, en amont |
| German | bergauf, bergan , hochgelegen , ansteigend , mühselig |
| Portuguese | ladeira acima |
| Spanish | cuesta arriba |
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.
Where does uphill come from?
From up + hill.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).