outstrip
/ˌaʊtˈstɹɪp/
"outstrip" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“outstrip” is uncommon English (frequency #66,168 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #66,168
- frequency rank, English
- 1,431
- “O” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To move more quickly than (someone or something) so as to outrun or leave it behind.
Corpus desk
Index EN-outstrip · outstrip · English
outstrip · rank #66,168 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #66,168
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 1,431
- PHOTO-FINISH OUP
Nearest frequency peer: OUP (-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 “outstrip”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- opticians
opticians
33,838 corpus weight
- organometal…
organometallic
33,837 corpus weight
- orientalist
orientalist
33,836 corpus weight
- OUP
OUP
33,834 corpus weight
- outstrip
outstrip
33,833 corpus weight
- oversea
oversea
33,830 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “outstrip” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | outstrip |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˌaʊtˈstɹɪp/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #66,168 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “outstrip” in English
Rare enough to double-check
outstrip is uncommon English at frequency #66,168 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌaʊtˈstɹɪp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for outstrip, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From out- (prefix forming verbs with the sense of exceeding or surpassing) + strip (“(obsolete) to move or pass by quickly”). The correct English form is outstrip, spelled O-U-T-S-T-R-I-P.
Definition
- 1To move more quickly than (someone or something) so as to outrun or leave it behind.
- 2To exceed or surpass (someone or something).
- 3To exceed or overstep (a boundary or limit); to transgress.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how outstrip appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
We quickly outstripped the amateur runners.
And leaſt that I in telling of my tale may longer bee, / Than they in ronning of their race, outſtripped quight was shée. / And he that wan her, marying her enioyd her for his fée.
Etymology
From out- (prefix forming verbs with the sense of exceeding or surpassing) + strip (“(obsolete) to move or pass by quickly”).
This word in other languages
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "outstrip", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).