Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

up the creek

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.37 in modern English

Syllables
up- the creek
IPA
21
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

In trouble; in a difficult situation.

Example Sentences

Etymology

American English.

Inflected Forms

up a creek (alternative) up a creek without a paddle (alternative) up the creek without a paddle (alternative)

Synonyms

up shit creek

Questions

What does up the creek mean?
In trouble; in a difficult situation.
Where does up the creek come from?
American English.

How to pronounce up the creek

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “up the creek”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “up the creek”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “up the creek” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.