upkeep

/ˈʌpkip/

//ˈʌpkip// noun

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

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

The verdict

“upkeep” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,403. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,403
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
8
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Maintenance; the act or effort of keeping something in good and working condition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-upkeep · upkeep · English

upkeep · rank #21,403 · 8 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,403
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unreleased

Nearest frequency peer: unreleased (-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 “upkeep”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “upkeep” 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
Key facts for upkeep
PropertyValue
Headwordupkeep
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʌpkip/
Letters6
Frequency rank#21,403
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “upkeep”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).upkeeplands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “unreleased” (#21,402), “urn” (#21,404), “unmarked” (#21,401). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “upkeep” is #21,403. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around upkeep (IPA /ˈʌpkip/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,403 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Maintenance; the act or effort of keeping something in good and working condition.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for upkeep, with forms such as "pukeep", "ukpeep", and "upekep". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From up + keep. The correct English form is upkeep, spelled U-P-K-E-E-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Maintenance; the act or effort of keeping something in good and working condition.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I would enjoy having a swimming pool, but I don't want to deal with the upkeep.
  2. […] it was unnecessary to fence off pasture from arable land, which saved a lot of labour on the upkeep of hedges and gates.

Etymology

From up + keep.

This word in other languages

mantenimiento(Español)entretien(Français)Wartung(Deutsch)manutenção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pukeep
  • ukpeep
  • upekep
  • upkeepp
  • upkep
  • upkepe
  • upkkeep
  • uppkeep

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of upkeep - 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.

pukeep2ukpeep2upekep2upkeepp1upkep1upkepe2upkkeep1uppkeep1
Edit distance from "upkeep"

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 "upkeep"?
"upkeep" is spelled U-P-K-E-E-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌpkip/.
What does "upkeep" mean?
As a noun, "upkeep" means: Maintenance; the act or effort of keeping something in good and working condition.
What are common misspellings of "upkeep"?
Common misspellings include "pukeep", "ukpeep", "upekep", "upkeepp", "upkep". The correct spelling is "upkeep".
How do you pronounce "upkeep"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "upkeep" is /ˈʌpkip/. 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 "upkeep"?
From up + keep. 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 "upkeep", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Viagra#21,406unload#21,399volley#21,409Wallis#21,412

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

terrier8 variantstaping8 variantsAndrei8 variantsseduce8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list