Meaning & use
upspeak
Last updated
A speech pattern in which sentences end with a rising intonation, making statements sound like questions.
See it in a sentence
Her frequent upspeak made her presentation sound uncertain even when she was stating facts.
Linguists debate whether upspeak signals insecurity or is simply a regional speech pattern.
A note on using this word
Also called 'uptalk'; it's often associated with younger speakers and has become widespread in casual English.
Words with a similar meaning
uptalk
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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