It's not upmost

[ISeriouslyDoubtIt]

It's "utmost" NOT "upmost". Recently I've seen several threads where people have written "upmost". It's not even a word, it doesn't come up in predictive text, they can't have seen it written in a book or newspaper or article( they most likely don't read anything except what's on social media). Do they say the word like that?
Are they somehow confusing it with "uppermost", if so, it makes them look even more stupid. Even my ten year old granddaughter knows it's "utmost". Why use words when you don't know what they mean and have made them up, it just makes you appear so thick?

www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/utmost-vs-upmost-difference#:~:text=In%20sum%2C%20utmost%20is%20the,things%20that%20are%20up%20high.

😊

I think this is a really understandable error - neither are common words, they sound similar and have similar meanings.

"Utmost" is a perfectly normal commonly used word! It seems from the dictionary quoted above that "upmost" may be used in USA as a contraction of "uppermost" which describes position not degree. I can't find anything explaining that it's synonymous with "utmost" or that it's used in the UK with that meaning.

I didn't say synonymous, I said similar in meaning. I also didn't say it's correct, I said it's a very understandable error.

Also - why does UK Vs US matter? What's correct in one is correct in the other, even if it's not the most common usage.

I know its pedants’ corner but could you be anymore aggressive and derogatory about it? Jeez 🙄

Is this what keeps you up at night? 🤣

Of course it matters if it's UK or US English. Some US words are wrong in UK English, in the UK we don't call a tap a faucet or say we were walking along the sidewalk or fill our car up with gas.

Why would it keep her up at night?

This is a specific board for pedants but I'm be very surprised if caring about language stops the posters who read and post here sleeping

Don't be so ridiculous. It's a thread just like thousands of other threads which aren't of world-shattering importance. I have noticed the use of the word quite a few times on Mumsnet threads and posted in Pedants' Corner which is exactly the place where this type of thing is discussed.

'Discusting' is worse!!

Basic language ?

No one uses that anymore - python is where it's at

In my opinion adults who don't know how to use basic language are stupid, why shouldn't I say that?

Because stupidity is a lack of intelligence, not a lack of knowledge. You're absolutely right about the usage of 'utmost', but being mistaken about two similar-sounding words doesn't make someone stupid.

Of course - we're pedants.

I am all for a bit of pedantry, but your post is just mean and unnecessarily aggressive

Was just teasing you 😉 I do think you’re being mean though. People aren’t stupid because they don’t know one word. Lighten up 🙂

They are different, they are not wrong. It's not wrong for a British person to say faucet, just unusual.

You're right that we should be careful with language and how we use it. For example, in your last sentence here you've implied that those with learning disabilities aren't normal - a far more damaging communication error than using upmost instead of utmost.

Maybe we will see "it was upmost in the draw" and weep into our keyboards

US English isn't "wrong".
What a ridiculous assumption to make.

How do you feel about the correct punctuation of written English btw? 😏

Fucking hell.

“Why use words when you don't know what they mean and have made them up, it just makes you appear so thick?”

Because you don’t know what you don’t know! People who say upmost have either heard someone else say it (or seen it written incorrectly) or they think they heard upmost rather than utmost.

if you have been corrected but still use it then….

A bit like my MIL who didn’t believe me when I told her it was ‘block paving’ and not ‘pathing’. I said paving, referring to pavement and she said NO, pathing referring to path!

Ignoring the OP’s unpleasantness, I can give my explanation

It’s the glottal stop.

utmost = u’most
upmost = u’most

So, since they’re both uncommon words, they’re easily confused.
HTH.

Yes, I'd agree that that's where the confusion comes from.