outpace

verb

"outpace" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“outpace” is uncommon English (frequency #58,259 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,259
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To go faster than; to exceed the pace of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-outpace · outpace · English

outpace · rank #58,259 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,259
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH outa

Nearest frequency peer: outa (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “outpace”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “outpace” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for outpace
PropertyValue
Headwordoutpace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters7
Frequency rank#58,259
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “outpace” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).outpacefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “outa” (#58,258), “overhearing” (#58,260), “ovoid” (#58,261). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “outpace” is #58,259. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

outpace is uncommon English at frequency #58,259 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To go faster than; to exceed the pace of.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for outpace, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From out- + pace. The correct English form is outpace, spelled O-U-T-P-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To go faster than; to exceed the pace of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how outpace appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The youngster outpaced his grandfather and ran on ahead.
  2. Walters outpaced Raio Piiroja from a long ball forward and curled a powerful shot over the crossbar from a tight angle in the 33rd minute.

Etymology

From out- + pace.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "outpace"?
"outpace" is spelled O-U-T-P-A-C-E.
What does "outpace" mean?
As a verb, "outpace" means: To go faster than; to exceed the pace of.
What is the origin of the word "outpace"?
From out- + pace. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "outpace", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list