upstart

/ˈʌp.stɑːt/

//ˈʌp.stɑːt// noun

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

"upstart" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“upstart” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,570. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,570
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who has suddenly gained wealth, power, or other prominence, but either has not received social acceptance or has become arrogant or presumptuous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-upstart · upstart · English

upstart · rank #35,570 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,570
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH ure

Nearest frequency peer: ure (+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 “upstart”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “upstart” 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).

upstart vs upstate
71% similar
upstart vs upstairs
75% similar

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

Key facts for upstart
PropertyValue
Headwordupstart
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʌp.stɑːt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#35,570
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “upstart”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).upstartlands 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 “ure” (#35,571), “urea” (#35,572), “USO” (#35,573). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “upstart” is #35,570. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around upstart (IPA /ˈʌp.stɑːt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,570 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for upstart, with forms such as "pustart", "uppstart", and "upsatrt". 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 also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "upstate", "upstairs", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English upstarten, upsterten, equivalent to up- + start. The correct English form is upstart, spelled U-P-S-T-A-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who has suddenly gained wealth, power, or other prominence, but either has not received social acceptance or has become arrogant or presumptuous.
  2. 2
    The meadow saffron.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. upstarts […]they call in reproach mushrooms
  2. [S]he has no fair pretence of family or blood. She was nobody when he married her, barely the daughter of a gentleman; but ever since her being turned into a Churchill she has out-Churchill’d them all in high and mighty claims: but in herself, I assure you, she is an upstart.”

Etymology

From Middle English upstarten, upsterten, equivalent to up- + start.

Synonyms

arrivistenouveau richeparvenu

This word in other languages

advenedizo(Español)parvenu(Français)Emporkömmling(Deutsch)arrivista(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pustart
  • uppstart
  • upsatrt
  • upsstart
  • upstarrt
  • upstartt
  • upstatr
  • upstrat
  • upsttart
  • uptsart
  • usptart

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of upstart - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

pustart2uppstart1upsatrt2upsstart1upstarrt1upstartt1upstatr2upstrat2
Edit distance from "upstart"

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 "upstart"?
"upstart" is spelled U-P-S-T-A-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌp.stɑːt/.
What does "upstart" mean?
As a noun, "upstart" means: One who has suddenly gained wealth, power, or other prominence, but either has not received social acceptance or has become arrogant or presumptuous.
What words are commonly confused with "upstart"?
"upstart" is commonly confused with "upstate", "upstairs". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "upstart"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "upstart" is /ˈʌp.stɑːt/. 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 "upstart"?
From Middle English upstarten, upsterten, equivalent to up- + start. 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 "upstart", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

veritas#35,575twofold#35,564weeding#35,583winkler#35,587

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Watanabe11 variantsAcapulco11 variantsstencil11 variantsarousing11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list