uhps
/ʌps/
ups is pronounced uhps (/ʌps/). Ups is the plural noun form of up, meaning multiple upward movements or positions, or a colloquial short form for ‘upsides’ or ‘UPS’ in certain contexts. In everyday language it can indicate increments or gains, and in business or sports talk it may refer to upward trends or scores. The pronunciation is a short, closed syllable with a single syllable stress, ending with an unvoiced s sound.
Ups is the plural noun form of up, meaning multiple upward movements or positions, or a colloquial short form for ‘upsides’ or ‘UPS’ in certain contexts. In everyday language it can indicate increments or gains, and in business or sports talk it may refer to upward trends or scores. The pronunciation is a short, closed syllable with a single syllable stress, ending with an unvoiced s sound.
"The ups and downs of the market can be exhausting if you overthink it."
"We set several ups in the training schedule to boost progress."
"There are a few ups to this plan, but you should weigh the downs too."
You pronounce ups as /ʌps/. It’s a single, closed syllable with the vowel sound /ʌ/ like “cup,” followed by a voiceless /p/ cluster and an /s/ ending. The mouth starts relaxed, with the jaw slightly lowered and the tongue central, then moves to a quick aspirated /p/ release before settling into the /s/ hiss. Stress is on the single syllable; there is no secondary stress. For audio reference, you can compare with /ʌp/ plus /s/ in rapid speech.
Common mistakes: (1) Slurring the final /s/ into a voiced or voiced-like sound; keep it voiceless and hissy. (2) Vowel reduction to /ɪ/ or /ə/ in fast speech; stick to /ʌ/ as in cup. (3) Dropping the /p/ (e.g., /ʌs/ or /ups/ without the /p/); ensure a brief, complete /p/ release before /s/. Practice by isolating /ʌ/ then a crisp /p/ release, then add /s/.
In US, UK, and AU, ups is generally /ʌps/. The main difference is fellow-rhoticity and vowel quality: US tends to have a lax /ʌ/ with a slightly more central tongue position; UK often has a more open, back /ʌ/ in some dialects; AU speakers can show more vowel variance but still maintain /ʌ/ for this word. The /p/ is reliably aspirated, and the /s/ maintains a clear hissing sound; no rhotic vowel or linking occurs after ups since it’s a standalone word.
The difficulty comes from coordinating a quick, precise /p/ release followed immediately by /s/. Many speakers either nasalize or voice the final sound, blending /p/ with /s/ or omitting one. Also, the short /ʌ/ vowel can be stretched or reduced in casual speech, leading to a less clear /ʌ/ and a muddled ending. Focus on a clean, aspirated /p/ and a sharp /s/ with steady amplitude.
A unique nuance is that ups often appears as part of fixed phrases like “ups and downs” or as plural shorthand in contexts like performance metrics (“ups in sales”). It may also be heard as a reduced form in rapid speech, with the /p/ held briefly before the /s/. Awareness of the surrounding phrase helps you maintain the crisp /ʌ/ and /ps/ timing.
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Ups derives from up, used in pluralized form to denote multiple instances or items that are upward or elevated. The usage likely follows standard English morphology: adding -s to up to indicate more than one upward action or position. The base word up traces to Old English up, which itself has Germanic roots related to the sense of vertical direction, ascent, or elevation. Over time, up has functioned as a preposition, adverb, and adjective, with “ups” appearing in colloquial and idiomatic English to emphasize plurality or repetition of upward movement or benefit (as in “upswing” or “upsell”). In modern usage, ups appears in contexts such as markets, performance metrics, and sport scoring, often as shorthand or in fixed phrases (e.g., “the ups and downs”). First recorded attestations of up as an independent word appear in Old English and Norse-influenced texts, with the plural form ups likely emerging in the mid- to late-20th century as slang shorthand and in compound phrases. The sense evolution reflects a natural extension from a single upward gesture to multiple occurrences, or as a modal shorthand in slogans and summaries. The current common use as a plural noun or segmental unit (as in “ups in the market”) is established in contemporary English usage.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "ups" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "ups"
-ups sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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