over

/ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)/

//ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"over" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“over” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #88 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#88
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Finished; ended; concluded.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

over vs owe
50% similar
over vs Owen
25% similar
over vs owed
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for over
PropertyValue
Headwordover
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)/
Letters4
Frequency rank#88
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “over” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). over lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for over is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #88 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for over, with forms such as "oevr", "overr", and "ovre". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "owe", "Owen", "owed", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Proto-West Germanic *obar Old English ofer Middle English over English over From Middle English over, from Old English ofer, from Proto-West Germa… The correct English form is over, spelled O-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Finished; ended; concluded.
  2. 2
    Finished; ended; concluded.
  3. 3
    Hopeless; irrecoverable.
  4. 4
    Visiting one's home or other location.
  5. 5
    Having surmounted an obstacle.
  6. 6
    Having an excess in a particular respect.
  7. 7
    Surplus to requirements.
  8. 8
    Of a wrestler: generating a reaction from fans.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Proto-West Germanic *obar Old English ofer Middle English over English over From Middle English over, from Old English ofer, from Proto-West Germanic *obar, from Proto-Germanic *uber (“over”), from Proto-Indo-European *upér, related to *upó. Akin to Scots ower (“over”), Yola oer, ower, owr (“over”), Saterland Frisian uur (“over”), West Frisian oer (“over, across”), Cimbrian übar (“over”), Dutch over (“over”), German ober, über, ueber (“over, above”), Limburgish euver, övver (“over”), Low German över, üöver (“over”), Luxembourgish iwwer (“over”), Mòcheno iber (“over”), Yiddish איבער (iber, “over”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål over (“over”), Faroese yvir (“over”), Icelandic yfir (“over”), Norwegian Nynorsk over, yver, yvi (“over”), Swedish över (“over”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂 (ufar, “over”), Latin super (“over, above”), Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over, above”), Albanian upri (“group of peasants”), Waigali var, vari, Sanskrit उपरि (upári, “over”). Doublet of uber, super, and hyper.

This word in other languages

terminado(Español)fini(Français)vorbei(Deutsch)acabado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: oevr,overr,ovre,ovver,voer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of over - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

oevr2overr1ovre2ovver1voer2
Edit distance from "over"

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 "over"?
"over" is spelled O-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)/.
What does "over" mean?
As an adjective, "over" means: Finished; ended; concluded.
What words are commonly confused with "over"?
"over" is commonly confused with "owe", "Owen", "owed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "over"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "over" is /ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "over"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Proto-West Germanic *obar Old English ofer Middle English over English over From Middle English over, from Old English ofer, from Proto-... 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 “over”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is O-V-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “owe” - see the side-by-side comparison. over vs owe
  • 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