Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

up to here

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.82 in modern English

Syllables: up- -to here
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see up to, here.

prep_phrase

Overwhelmed, busy, buried or swamped.

prep_phrase

Used as an intensifier.

Example Sentences

"Just fill the bucket with water up to here."
"I have been up to here in paperwork all week."
"They have their lives to live and I'm up to here in disgust with mine."
"I have had it up to here with his sarcasm."
"I am stuffed up to here with appetizers."

Etymology

All such constructions, along with elbow-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, neckdeep, and so on, rely on the same metaphor: the depth to which a wader or swimmer is submerged in a body of water.

Inflected Forms

up to one's eyeballs (alternative) up to one's eyes (alternative) up to one's ears (alternative) up to one's neck (alternative)

Phrases

have had it up to here flood the zone keep one's head above water stem the tide tread water

Frequently Paired Words

drowning flood the zone keep one's head above water stem the tide tread water

Questions

What does up to here mean?: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see up to, here.
Where does up to here come from?: All such constructions, along with elbow-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, neckdeep, and so on, rely on the same metaphor: the depth to which a wader or swimmer is submerged in a body of water.

How to pronounce up to here

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