outsmart
/aʊtˈsmɑː(ɹ)t/verb
outsmart is spelled O-U-T-S-M-A-R-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, outsmart means “To beat in a competition of wits” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in outsmart?
| Letters | 8: O-U-T-S-M-A-R-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,187th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is outsmart?
Outsmart appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th 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 outsmart?
- /aʊtˈsmɑː(ɹ)t/
Outsmart 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-outsmart.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of outsmart
- outsmarts present, singular, he/she/it
- outsmarting participle, present
- outsmarted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does outsmart mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To beat in a competition of wits.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Outsmart in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense beat in a competition of wits:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | être plus malin que, se montrer plus malin que |
| German | überlisten |
| Portuguese | ser mais esperto que |
| Spanish | burlar, ser más listo que, superar en inteligencia |
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 outsmart come from?
From out- + smart.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).