Upmost vs. Utmost: Unscramble These Commonly Mixed-Up Words

Quick Answer

Upmost means “the highest” in terms of elevation (distance above the ground), ranking, or degree.

The upmost floor of the building contains the luxury VIP suite.

Utmost means “the most possible” or "most extreme."

Please use the utmost caution when feeding sharks.

These two words are often confused because they sound similar and even appear to have similar meanings. The meanings, however, are distinct, which becomes cleaer when looking at additional example sentences. 

Before we look at sample sentences, a quick note: The word upmost is not commonly used anymore, and is considered old-fashioned by some; the word uppermost is used much more often.

Using Upmost in a Sentence

1. It was her upmost priority to keep her children safe.
2. The umpire's decision is final and the upmost authority on the field.
3. I was promised the upmost respect in my new job.
4. Though he was humble and polite, his upmost concern was himself.
5. It's imperative for her to maintain her upmost levels of concentration, especially when she plays a game.
6. The upmost care should be taken when handling this type of material, because it can easily break down if not handled properly.
7. We should always place the upmost emphasis on safety while driving a car, no matter what the situation is.
8. Try to be at the upmost of your game.
9. The fort was in the upmost part of the country.

Using Utmost in a Sentence

1. The plan must be carried out to the utmost detail.
2. Working with a team requires each person to put in their best effort and give their utmost attention.
3. His utmost concern was for his family's safety at all times.
4. She felt it would be her utmost pleasure if they could spend time together again someday soon.
5. She deserves the utmost respect.
6. I'm trying to make it my utmost goal, no matter what.
7. The teacher could not give the students further instruction because she had reached her utmost limit of patience.
8. He was the utmost curious about the storm.
9. The man tried his utmost to help her. 

Common Phrases That Use Utmost and Upmost

Utmost

1. Utmost concern
2. Utmost confidence
3. Utmost importance
4. Utmost support
5. Utmost respect

Upmost (Uppermost)

Because upmost is quite rare, you are more likely to see and use its more common variant, uppermost. 

1. Uppermost floor 
2. The uppermost layer
3. The uppermost drawer
4. The uppermost shelf
5. The uppermost room
6. The uppermost portion

Word Origin and History of Upmost

The word upmost was first used in the 14th century. Not much is known prior to this date. 

Word Origin and History of Utmost

The earliest form of the word was Ūtmest, a superlative adjective formed from the adverb Ūt, meaning "out." The sense of "outermost" emerges from this use in Old English. In Middle English, Ūtmest evolved into utmost, perhaps influenced by the spelling of the word most . For much of its history, utmost has been used in reference to physical distances or spatial relationships.

Remembering the Difference

The first memory trick is to remember that the word upmost is so rare that you should probably avoid using it when writing. This leaves utmost as the word that you are almost certainly intending to use.  

Another easy way to remember the difference is to focus on the -up in upmost, and recall the word uppermost, which means "placed or situated at the highest or most important position."  This word is far more common than umpost and is almost certainly the better usage.  

Learn More

You now have a better grasp of the differences between "upmost" and "utmost." If you enjoy learning about commonly mixed-up English words, check in here for a growing list of confusing English words!