upper case

noun

"upper-case" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“upper case” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The capital letters A, B, C, ... as opposed to the small letters a, b, c, ....

Corpus desk

Index EN-upper-case · upper case · English

upper case · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "U" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for upper case
PropertyValue
Headwordupper case
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “upper case” in English

upper caseranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

upper case is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The capital letters A, B, C, ... as opposed to the small letters a, b, c, ....".

upper case doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Named for the original arrangement in typesetting, where the drawer or case containing capital letters would traditionally be located above the one containing small letters. The correct English form is upper case, spelled U-P-P-E-R- -C-A-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The capital letters A, B, C, ... as opposed to the small letters a, b, c, ....

Etymology

Named for the original arrangement in typesetting, where the drawer or case containing capital letters would traditionally be located above the one containing small letters.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "upper case"?
"upper case" is spelled U-P-P-E-R- -C-A-S-E.
What does "upper case" mean?
As a noun, "upper case" means: The capital letters A, B, C, ... as opposed to the small letters a, b, c, ....
What is the origin of the word "upper case"?
Named for the original arrangement in typesetting, where the drawer or case containing capital letters would traditionally be located above the one containing small letters. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list