uphold

/ˌʌpˈhəʊld/

//ˌʌpˈhəʊld// verb

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

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

The verdict

“uphold” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,663. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,663
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To hold up; to lift on high; to elevate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-uphold · uphold · English

uphold · rank #14,663 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,663
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unfit

Nearest frequency peer: unfit (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “uphold”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “uphold” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

uphold vs upload
67% similar
uphold vs upheld
83% similar
uphold vs unfold
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for uphold
PropertyValue
Headworduphold
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌʌpˈhəʊld/
Letters6
Frequency rank#14,663
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “uphold”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).upholdlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “unfit” (#14,662), “vita” (#14,664), “tyres” (#14,660). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “uphold” is #14,663. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around uphold (IPA /ˌʌpˈhəʊld/), averb. Corpus frequency is #14,663 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for uphold, with forms such as "puhold", "uhpold", and "uphhold". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "upload", "upheld", "unfold", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English upholden, equivalent to up- + hold. Compare Dutch ophouden (“to stop, cease, hold up”), German aufhalten (“to stop, halt, detain”). Compare also Middle Low German upholt, Old Norse upphald (“uphold, support”). The correct English form is uphold, spelled U-P-H-O-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To hold up; to lift on high; to elevate.
  2. 2
    To keep erect; to support; to sustain; to keep from falling
  3. 3
    To support by approval or encouragement; to vindicate; to confirm (something which has been questioned)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how uphold appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The mournful train/ Echoed her grief, [...]/ With groans, and hands upheld, to move his mind, /Besought his pity to their helpless kind
  2. A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Etymology

From Middle English upholden, equivalent to up- + hold. Compare Dutch ophouden (“to stop, cease, hold up”), German aufhalten (“to stop, halt, detain”). Compare also Middle Low German upholt, Old Norse upphald (“uphold, support”).

Synonyms

vindicate

This word in other languages

elevar(Español)soutenir(Français)emporhalten(Deutsch)suportar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • puhold
  • uhpold
  • uphhold
  • uphlod
  • uphodl
  • upholdd
  • upholld
  • upohld
  • upphold

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of uphold - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

puhold2uhpold2uphhold1uphlod2uphodl2upholdd1upholld1upohld2
Edit distance from "uphold"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "uphold"?
"uphold" is spelled U-P-H-O-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌʌpˈhəʊld/.
What does "uphold" mean?
As a verb, "uphold" means: To hold up; to lift on high; to elevate.
What words are commonly confused with "uphold"?
"uphold" is commonly confused with "upload", "upheld", "unfold". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "uphold"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "uphold" is /ˌʌpˈhəʊld/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "uphold"?
From Middle English upholden, equivalent to up- + hold. Compare Dutch ophouden (“to stop, cease, hold up”), German aufhalten (“to stop, halt, detain”). Compare also Middle Low German upholt, Old Norse upphald (“uphold, support”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "uphold", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

toledo#14,651zoning#14,677starve#14,640socket#14,635

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

spouses9 variantssneaky9 variantssexism9 variantsbenign9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list