overcast

Name: overcast, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈəʊvəˌkɑːst/

//ˈəʊvəˌkɑːst// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“overcast” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,237. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,237
frequency rank, English: 1,431
“O” headwords: 12
tracked misspellings: 3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cloud covering all of the sky from horizon to horizon.

Corpus desk

Index EN-overcast · overcast · English

overcast · rank #27,237 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

FREQ-MID #27,237
LEN-LONG 8 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
VAR-MID 12 variants
BOOK-MID 1,431
PHOTO-FINISH ostrich

Nearest frequency peer: ostrich (-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.

observant

72,767
ostrich

72,765
overcast

72,764
overcrowding

72,763
paragon

72,762
parochial

72,761

What this shows “overcast” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

overcast vs overpass

75% similar

overcast vs overcoat

75% similar

overcast vs overcame

75% similar

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

Key facts for overcast
Property	Value
Headword	overcast
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈəʊvəˌkɑːst/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#27,237
Misspellings tracked	12
Confusable pairs	3
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “overcast”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).overcastlands here:

#27,237

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ostrich” (#27,236), “overcrowding” (#27,238), “paragon” (#27,239). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “overcast” is #27,237. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around overcast (IPA /ˈəʊvəˌkɑːst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,237 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for overcast, with forms such as "oevrcast", "ovecrast", and "overacst". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "overpass", "overcoat", "overcame", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English overcasten, equivalent to over- + cast. Compare Swedish överkast. The correct English form is overcast, spelled O-V-E-R-C-A-S-T.

Definition

1
A cloud covering all of the sky from horizon to horizon.
2
An outcast.
3
A place where one roadway crosses another, specifically where an airway was built across the top of another airway for ventilation purposes.

Etymology

From Middle English overcasten, equivalent to over- + cast. Compare Swedish överkast.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

oevrcast
ovecrast
overacst
overcasst
overcastt
overcats
overccast
overcsat
overrcast
ovrecast
ovvercast
voercast

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of overcast - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "overcast"

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 "overcast"?

"overcast" is spelled O-V-E-R-C-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈəʊvəˌkɑːst/.

What does "overcast" mean?

As a noun, "overcast" means: A cloud covering all of the sky from horizon to horizon.

What words are commonly confused with "overcast"?

"overcast" is commonly confused with "overpass", "overcoat", "overcame". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "overcast"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "overcast" is /ˈəʊvəˌkɑːst/. 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 "overcast"?

From Middle English overcasten, equivalent to over- + cast. Compare Swedish överkast. 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 "overcast", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pastries#27,241 Nakamura#27,227 plankton#27,248 redacted#27,264

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Maitland12 variants thoracic12 variants Genevieve12 variants unskilled12 variants