Meaning trap
add up
make sense
If something 'adds up', it means it makes sense or seems reasonable.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
If something 'adds up', it means it makes sense or seems reasonable.
Another meaning of 'add up' is 'calculate the total'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- Her explanation just didn’t add up.communication
- When I looked at the evidence, it didn’t add up, so I started to doubt the results.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: add up (no object)
WrongHer story doesn't add up with the facts.
RightHer story doesn't add up. / Her story doesn't fit the facts.
'Add up' works alone here — don't tack 'with' on it.
Patternadd up (no object)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Doesn't add up' is the natural way to flag something illogical or suspicious; the formal version is stiff.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
(not) add updoesn'tsomethingit alljust
Don't confuse it
Not about numbers or math—this sense is about logic or believability.
Related
- add up (calculate the total) — Another meaning of 'add up' is 'calculate the total'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.