outdistance

verb

"outdistance" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“outdistance” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To run farther or faster than another, or to finish a race with a large margin.

Key facts for outdistance
PropertyValue
Headwordoutdistance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “outdistance” sits in English frequency

outdistance falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

outdistance is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To run farther or faster than another, or to finish a race with a large margin.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for outdistance, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From out- + distance. The correct English form is outdistance, spelled O-U-T-D-I-S-T-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To run farther or faster than another, or to finish a race with a large margin.

Etymology

From out- + distance.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "outdistance"?
"outdistance" is spelled O-U-T-D-I-S-T-A-N-C-E.
What does "outdistance" mean?
As a verb, "outdistance" means: To run farther or faster than another, or to finish a race with a large margin.
What is the origin of the word "outdistance"?
From out- + distance. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “outdistance”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is O-U-T-D-I-S-T-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list