overcharge
verb, noun
overcharge is spelled O-V-E-R-C-H-A-R-G-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, overcharge means “To charge (somebody) more money than the correct amount or to surpass a certain limit while charging a bill” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in overcharge?
| Letters | 10: O-V-E-R-C-H-A-R-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 53,573rd 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 overcharge?
Overcharge appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd 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 overcharge?
Overcharge has 3 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-overcharge.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of overcharge
- overcharges present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- overcharging participle, present
- overcharged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overcharge mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To charge (somebody) more money than the correct amount or to surpass a certain limit while charging a bill.
- 2
To continue to charge (an electrical device) beyond its capacity.
- 3
To charge (someone) with an inflated number or degree of legal charges (for example, charging them with a more serious crime than was committed); to upcharge.
- 4
datedTo charge or load too heavily; to burden; to oppress.
- 5
datedTo fill too full; to crowd.
October 22, 1706, Alexander Pope, letter to Mr. Walsh Our language is naturally overcharged with consonants.
- 6
datedTo exaggerate.
to overcharge a description
noun
- 1
An excessive load or burden.
- 2
An excessive charge in an account.
Near-synonym: price gouging
- 3
Any amount erroneously charged to a customer above the correct price for a product or service.
The software glitch caused an overcharge.
- 4
An excessive charge of a rechargeable battery.
It is impossible to end up with an overcharge of your smartphone under any normal circumstances because its hardware and firmware stop the charging when the battery is full.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Overcharge in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | surcharger , survolter |
| Portuguese | sobrecarregar |
| Spanish | cobrar de más |
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 overcharge come from?
From Middle English overchargen, equivalent to over- + charge.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).