# 'upto' is not a word, right? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 11, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965 "2011-04-11T16:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/1 "2011-04-11T16:10:54Z")
Thought I’d tap the font of SDMB knowledge. My boss is always giving me copy that includes the word ‘upto’. I am always correcting it to ‘up to’. I just want to check that ‘upto’ is definitely not a word or a valid usage of ‘up’ and ‘to’. Right? ---
**Author:** ![wonder\_lust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@wonder\_lust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonder_lust)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/2 "2011-04-11T16:19:37Z")
Right! That’s a nogo. I mean no go. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/3 "2011-04-11T16:23:30Z")
Never seen it. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/4 "2011-04-11T16:33:16Z")
Perhaps he’s trying to turn it into a new word? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/5 "2011-04-11T16:46:19Z")
Either that or he shares a trait common in upper management - poor spelling and grammar. Thanks for confirming the non-word status of ‘upto’ for me guys 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/6 "2011-04-11T16:55:39Z")
> [@wonder\_lust](#): > > Right! > > That’s a nogo. I mean no go. I’d like to blow it up with a super no va. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/7 "2011-04-11T16:56:47Z")
Does he use “alot” too? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/8 "2011-04-11T17:15:54Z")
I bet noone can convince him it’s not a word. ---
**Author:** ![dawson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@dawson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dawson)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/9 "2011-04-11T17:18:51Z")
Now you are upto date about the status of upto. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/10 "2011-04-11T17:21:41Z")
Put an “s” in there and you get my employer. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dawson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@dawson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dawson)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/11 "2011-04-11T17:37:49Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Put an “s” in there and you get my employer. 😉 Your employed by Supto?😕 What do they do? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/12 "2011-04-11T22:40:16Z")
Upto isn’t a word, but updog certainly is. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/13 "2011-04-11T23:08:34Z")
English is constantly changing existing words and forming new ones. Without much in the way of rules, and no real central authority to specify what is right or wrong (like other languages such as French or German have). So over time English words change; words commonly used together become a hyphenated phrase, then the hyphen disappears and it’s one new word. Like \*to morrow \*becomes _to-morrow_ becomes _tomorrow_. Or _can not_ becomes _cannot_ becomes _can’t_. Or _electronic mail_ becomes _e-mail_ becomes _email_. There is no rule in English, except commonality of usage: if enough people start using it that way, it becomes an accepted word. The published dictionaries might be arbitrators of this, but they mostly just report after the fact on what has become accepted. So your boss could be out ahead of the pack in using upto. Or he could be going off on a wild path with nobody from the pack is following. The latter seems more likely to me; I haven’t seen upto used that way. But it may happen someday; it’s certainly clear enough what the meaning is. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/14 "2011-04-11T23:29:24Z")
Its not a very good scrabble word so I say no. ---
**Author:** ![Pops1963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de053/32.png) [@Pops1963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pops1963)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/15 "2011-04-11T23:51:12Z")
We seem to have a paradigm shift in the synergy of word usage here. Also we will require those TPC reports by 5:00 pm.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/16 "2011-04-12T01:03:25Z")
Alright already. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/17 "2011-04-12T02:05:11Z")
It’s a real word, just like dickfor. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/18 "2011-04-12T02:08:25Z")
> [@Justin\_Credible](#): > > Upto isn’t a word, but updog certainly is. What’s updog? 😕 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dawson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@dawson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dawson)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/19 "2011-04-12T03:10:37Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > It’s a real word, just like dickfor. Ok I’ll play. What’s a dickfor, and is it anything like a henweigh? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965/20 "2011-04-12T03:47:42Z")
10 print “hello sdmb!”; 20 upto 10 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upto-is-not-a-word-right/577965.md?page=2)