What's the difference between 'look up' and 'look for'?

'Look up' means searching in a reference source (docs, Google, database). 'Look for' means trying to find something physical or less specific. Engineers look up documentation but look for a lost file.

Can I say 'look up it' or must it be 'look it up'?

When using a pronoun (it, them, this), always put it between 'look' and 'up': look it up, look them up. With a noun, both work: 'look up the docs' or 'look the docs up'.

Is 'lookup' one word or two words?

As a verb, it's two words: 'look up'. As a noun or adjective, it's one word: 'a database lookup' or 'lookup table'.

Is 'look up' too casual for work emails?

'Look up' is appropriate in all workplace settings. It's neutral — fine for emails, meetings, and documentation. For very formal writing, you could use 'consult' or 'reference' instead.

What can I look up as a software engineer?

Engineers commonly look up documentation, error messages, API references, Stack Overflow answers, code examples, best practices, and technical terms.

How do I use 'look up' in past tense?

The past tense is 'looked up': 'I looked up the error code yesterday.' The past participle is also 'looked up': 'I have looked up the solution.'

What Does "Look Up" Mean in Tech?

Commonness
Versatility
Formality	CasualFormalNeutral
Spoken ↔ Written	SpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ Diplomatic	DirectDiplomaticNeutral
Region

Say it like this

✓Let me look that up real quick.

✓I'll look up the docs and get back to you.

✓Did you look up the error message?

✓I looked it up on Stack Overflow.

✓Can you look up the API reference for this?

Real examples

Standup

"I got stuck on a weird error, so I need to look up the documentation today."

Slack message

"Not sure about the syntax — let me look it up and reply in 5 mins."

GitHub PR

"I looked up the best practices for this pattern and updated the implementation."

Jira ticket

"Need to look up the API response format before starting this task."

Retrospective

"We wasted time because we didn't look up the existing solution first."

Sprint planning

"I'll need to look up how the legacy system handles this before I can estimate."

Pair programming

"Wait, let me look up that method — I forgot the exact parameters."

Don't say this

✕I will look up it later.

✓I will look it up later.— When the object is a pronoun (it, them, this), it goes between 'look' and 'up'.

✕I looked up in the documentation.

✓I looked it up in the documentation.— You need an object — what are you looking up? Add 'it' or the specific thing.

✕Can you look up?

✓Can you look it up?— The phrase needs an object. Say what you want the person to search for.

Other forms

base form

look up

"I need to look up the error code."

present continuous

looking up

"I'm looking up the documentation now."

past simple

looked up

"I looked up the solution yesterday."

noun form

lookup

"A database lookup can be slow."

Often used with

look up the documentationVery common — checking official docs

look up the errorSearching for what an error message means

look it up onlineSearching on the internet

look up the definitionFinding what a term means

look up the referenceChecking a reference guide or API docs

quick lookupA fast search (noun form)

Similar words

search forMore general — doesn't imply finding the answer

checkSlightly more casual — 'let me check the docs'

consultMore formal — used in writing

referenceFormal verb form — 'reference the documentation'

GoogleVery casual — specifically searching online

Opposites

know by heartrememberrecallknow off the top of your head

Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Choose the most natural response

1. Your teammate asks about an unfamiliar error code. What do you say?

I will look up it.Let me look it up.Let me look up.

Find the error

2. I looked up in Stack Overflow but didn't find anything.

I looked up inStack Overflowdidn't find anything

Complete the sentence

3. I forgot the syntax, so I need to ___ ___ ___ in the docs.

Rewrite more naturally

4. I will search for that information in the documentation later.

More words

check debug documentation reference Stack Overflow Google it dig into figure out

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "look up" in a standup this week?

Want more structured practice like this? Our English for Programmers course covers real workplace English in depth.

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