upwards
/ˈʌpwɚdz/adverb
upwards is spelled U-P-W-A-R-D-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, upwards means “Towards a (higher) position closer to the sky than the ground” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in upwards?
| Letters | 7: U-P-W-A-R-D-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.6 times per million words; the 10,358th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is upwards?
Upwards appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th 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 upwards?
- UK /ˈʌpwədz/
- US /ˈʌpwɚdz/
Upwards 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-upwards.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What does upwards mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Towards a (higher) position closer to the sky than the ground.
look upwards
- 2
To a higher figure or amount.
Prices are moving steadily upwards.
- 3
Towards something which is higher in order, larger, superior etc.
- 4
Backwards in time, into the past.
- 5
To or into later life.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Upwards in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to a higher position:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | en haut |
| German | aufwärts, nach oben, hoch, hinauf, herauf |
| Portuguese | para cima |
| Spanish | hacia arriba, arriba |
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 upwards come from?
From Middle English upwardes, from Old English upweardes, equivalent to up + -wards. Cognate with Dutch opwaarts (“upwards”), German aufwärts (“upwards”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).