VOICE

How to stop upspeak

AI can write your answer. If it ends on a rise, some listeners hear doubt.

Upspeak is when your pitch rises at the end of a statement, so it sounds like a question: "Hi, I'm Sam? I'm here for the two o'clock interview?" It's also called uptalk, and linguists call it high rising terminal.

Uptalk does a job. Paul Warren, a linguist who wrote a book about it, says people who use it are mostly keeping the conversation open and inviting the listener in. Listeners who don't uptalk tend to hear something else: a speaker who isn't confident in what they're saying.

In a job interview or a pitch, you don't get to pick your listener. Here's how to hear your own uptalk, then five drills you can do with your phone's voice recorder.

How to tell if you upspeak

It's hard to hear your own pitch while you're talking, so record yourself. Answer a question out loud for about a minute, without notes. "Tell me about yourself" works. Play it back and listen only to the last word of each sentence.

Mark each sentence with an arrow, up or down. Listen closely when you name something the other person might not know, like a past employer or your school. A rise there checks that they know it before you go on. Pick one up-arrow statement you meant as a fact, and start with drill 1.

1. Say it both ways

Say the same words as a question and then as a statement, so you can hear the difference in your own voice.

Drill: say "You finished the report?" with your voice going up on "report". Then say "You finished the report." and let "report" fall. Record both and play them back. Then say the statement three more times.

2. Land the last word

Let your pitch fall on the last word, like you're setting something down. Keep your volume up as you go down, so the word doesn't fade.

Drill: say "The project launches Monday." and drop on "Monday". Then try "We're moving forward with this plan." and "That's my final answer." If the last word starts to crackle, you've likely gone into vocal fry, the creaky bottom of your voice. Come back up a little and keep it at speaking volume.

3. Say your name like a fact

Your name is a fact. Say it like one.

Drill: say "Hi, I'm Sam. I'm here for the two o'clock interview." with your own name and a real time. Let "Sam" and "interview" both fall. Then record the first two sentences you'd say when you walk into the room.

4. Ask the question out loud

If you rise to check that people are following, ask them. A real question can rise, and your statements can end down.

Drill: explain something you know well in four or five sentences, like how a project at work went. End each statement down. Then ask "Does that make sense?" at the end and let that one rise.

5. Save rises for lists and questions

A rise has its places. In a list, your voice can go up on each item to show more is coming, then fall on the last one. Yes or no questions usually rise too.

Drill: say "We tested it in Boston, Denver and Austin." Rise a little on "Boston" and "Denver", then fall on "Austin". Then try a list from your own work.

A 10-minute routine

Record a one-minute answer you'll actually give this week.
Play it back. Mark the last word of each sentence up or down.
Say each up-arrow sentence again and let the last word fall.
Record the whole answer again and compare the arrows.

Do it a few days a week, with a new answer each time, until ending down is what you do without thinking.

Ending down is one of five habits in how to sound confident when you speak. The other four cover hedges, ums, pace and volume. To move your pitch through the rest of a sentence, see how to fix a monotone voice.

Practice it in Charisma Lab

Charisma Lab is a speaking coach on your iPhone. Its Train mode has a technique for this called The Declarative, open from the start in the Presence and Conviction tracks. It gives you a line like "The project launches Monday." and compares the pitch of your last word with the rest of the line. A take passes when you say the line and your last word is more than 5% lower than the average pitch of the other words. If your pitch rose or barely moved, it tells you and names the word to drop.

In Speak, tap the center and tell the coach what you're practicing for, like a job interview. Say your answer out loud in short chunks, since a pause of about two seconds ends a take. You hear each take played back. Then the coach tells you what to fix and sends you back in.

Setup is free and includes a short live session with the coach. After that, Speak and Train need Pro, which is $14.99 a month in the US. See pricing.

Get the app

FAQ

What is upspeak?

Upspeak, or uptalk, is a rise in pitch at the end of a statement that makes it sound like a question. Linguists call it high rising terminal or high rising intonation. It's been heard in New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Canada, South Africa and the US, and recorded in other languages too, according to a Victoria University article on Paul Warren's book.

What's an example of uptalk?

"I sent the file this morning? It's in the shared folder?" Both lines are statements. Each ends on a rise, so they sound like questions.

Why do people uptalk?

Mostly to keep the conversation open and invite the listener in, linguist Paul Warren says in that article, though people who hear it rather than use it take it as a lack of confidence.

Where did uptalk come from?

Nobody knows for sure. In the US it's linked to the "Valley Girl" speech of Southern California, which a Frank Zappa song made famous in the early 1980s. In New Zealand, one analysis of 1940s recordings suggests two people born in the late 1800s may have used it, according to the same article.

Do only women use upspeak?

No. A 1986 study of speech in Sydney found it more common among women and young people. Later studies found male and older uptalkers too, the article says.

Is upspeak the same as vocal fry?

No. Upspeak is a rise in pitch at the end of a sentence. Vocal fry is a low, creaky sound from the bottom of your voice, often heard where a sentence falls at the end. When you practice ending down, keep the last word at speaking volume. If it crackles, come back up a little. More in how to stop vocal fry.

More practice guides

Updated November 4, 2026.