Hi Paulo, To "hold" is to support something or grasp something using your hands. Example: They were told to hold the portrait for the auction. To "uphold" means to make sure a certain virtue (good principle), custom or practice is being observed and carried out. Example: Hard work, integrity and honesty are values we must uphold in this school. As a side topic, another two sets of words I can think of are: "set" and "upset" / "root" and "uproot". They have different meanings. Hope this helps. Cheers, Lance

The meanings are completely different. No one would ever confuse them. You need to know and use the word "hold" very regularly in everyday spoken and written English. The word "uphold" is unusual and used in specific contexts of law and politics, and so I do not recommend learning both words together.