outdo
/aʊtˈdu/verb
outdo is spelled O-U-T-D-O: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, outdo means “To excel; go beyond in performance; surpass” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in outdo?
| Letters | 5: O-U-T-D-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 40,703rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is outdo?
Outdo appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce outdo?
- US /aʊtˈdu/
Outdo has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-outdo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with outdo
Also written: out-do (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with outdo?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as outdo from its last stressed vowel (/u/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of outdo
- outdoes present, singular, he/she/it
- outdoing participle, present
- outdid past
- outdone participle, past
- out-do
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does outdo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To excel; go beyond in performance; surpass.
You've outdone yourself–another personal best!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Outdo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to go beyond:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | surpasser |
| German | übertreffen |
| Portuguese | superar |
| Spanish | lucirse, excederse a sí mismo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does outdo come from?
From out- + do.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).