# overtake vs overtaken

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### 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).

### overtaken
*verb · IPA /ˈəʊvəɹteɪkən/ · frequency rank #24,264*
past participle of overtake

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