Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

upbeat

/ʌpˈbit/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.53 in modern English

Syllables: up-beat
IPA: /ʌpˈbit/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Having a fast pace, tempo, or beat.

adj

Having a positive, lively, or perky tone, attitude, etc.

noun

An unaccented beat at the start of a musical phrase.

Example Sentences

"The notes are easy, but it's an upbeat tune and should be played fairly quickly."
"Though he had bad news, he ended with an upbeat forecast for the future."
"He sounded upbeat when I talked to him."
"But Murphy remains upbeat about the longer-term prospect of recovery and a resumption of the record growth in passenger volumes experienced in the UK in the two decades following privatisation."
"The conductor said: I give you three beats for nothing and then you come in on the upbeat."

Etymology

From up- + beat.

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Music.

Inflected Forms

more upbeat (comparative) most upbeat (superlative) up-beat (alternative) upbeats (plural)

Derived Forms

upbeatly upbeatness

Synonyms

unaccented beat anticipatory note anticipatory unstressed note unstressed anacrusis pickup cheerful pollyannaish

Antonyms

downbeat

Rhymes With

street meet eat complete beat feet sweet heat seat treat meat re-treat

Questions

How do you pronounce upbeat?: The recorded pronunciation is /ʌpˈbit/.
What does upbeat mean?: Having a fast pace, tempo, or beat.
Where does upbeat come from?: From up- + beat.

How to pronounce upbeat

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