# overcame vs overtake

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### overcame
*verb · IPA /ˌəʊ.vəˈkeɪm/ · frequency rank #20,728*
simple past of overcome

### overtake
*verb · IPA /əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/ · frequency rank #19,653*
To pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/overcame-vs-overtake