uphold
/ˌʌpˈhəʊld/verb
uphold is spelled U-P-H-O-L-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.3 times per million words in written English, the 14,509th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, uphold means “To hold up; to lift on high; to elevate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in uphold?
| Letters | 6: U-P-H-O-L-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.3 times per million words; the 14,509th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is uphold?
Uphold appears 3.3 times per million words in written English, the 14,509th 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 uphold?
- /ˌʌpˈhəʊld/
Uphold 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-uphold.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with uphold?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as uphold.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: holdup.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of uphold
- upholds present, singular, he/she/it
- upholding participle, present
- upheld past, participle
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does uphold mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To hold up; to lift on high; to elevate.
- 2
To keep erect; to support; to sustain; to keep from falling.
Wednesday June 02, 2021, Has the Northern Ireland Protocol undermined the United Kingdom? Similarly, both the Government and the EU argued at the time the deal was agreed that they were upholding the Good Friday Agreement by implementing th
- 3
To support by approval or encouragement; to vindicate; to confirm (something which has been questioned).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Uphold in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | emporhalten, hochheben, hochhalten , aufrecht halten |
| Spanish | elevar, levantar , sustentar, sostener, mantener, enforzar |
| French | soutenir |
| Portuguese | suportar |
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 uphold come from?
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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).