overcome

/ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm/

//ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm// verb

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

"overcome" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“overcome” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,545. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,545
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-overcome · overcome · English

overcome · rank #4,545 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,545
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH opera

Nearest frequency peer: opera (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “overcome”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “overcome” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

overcome vs overtime
75% similar
overcome vs overdose
75% similar
overcome vs overdone
75% similar

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

Key facts for overcome
PropertyValue
Headwordovercome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#4,545
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “overcome” 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).overcomelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “opera” (#4,544), “parallel” (#4,546), “Oklahoma” (#4,543). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around overcome (IPA /ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,545 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for overcome, with forms such as "oevrcome", "ovecrome", and "overccome". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "overtime", "overdose", "overdone", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English overcomen, inherited from Old English ofercuman (“to overcome, subdue, compel, conquer, obtain, attain, reach, overtake”). By surface analysis, over- + come. Cognate with Dutch overkomen, German überkommen, Danish overkomme, Sw… The correct English form is overcome, spelled O-V-E-R-C-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of.
  2. 2
    To prevail.
  3. 3
    To recover from (a difficulty), to get over.
  4. 4
    To win against or prevail over in some sort of battle, contest, etc.
  5. 5
    To come or pass over; to spread over.
  6. 6
    To overflow; to surcharge.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how overcome appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. But sith this wretched woman ouercome / Of anguish, rather then of crime hath beene,
  2. By and by fumes of brandy began to fill the air, and climb to where I lay, overcoming the mouldy smell of decayed wood and the dampness of the green walls.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English overcomen, inherited from Old English ofercuman (“to overcome, subdue, compel, conquer, obtain, attain, reach, overtake”). By surface analysis, over- + come. Cognate with Dutch overkomen, German überkommen, Danish overkomme, Swedish överkomma.

This word in other languages

vencer(Español)vaincre(Français)überwinden(Deutsch)vencer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oevrcome
  • ovecrome
  • overccome
  • overcmoe
  • overcoem
  • overcomme
  • overocme
  • overrcome
  • ovrecome
  • ovvercome
  • voercome

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of overcome - 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.

oevrcome2ovecrome2overccome1overcmoe2overcoem2overcomme1overocme2overrcome1
Edit distance from "overcome"

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 "overcome"?
"overcome" is spelled O-V-E-R-C-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm/.
What does "overcome" mean?
As a verb, "overcome" means: To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of.
What words are commonly confused with "overcome"?
"overcome" is commonly confused with "overtime", "overdose", "overdone". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "overcome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "overcome" is /ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm/. 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 "overcome"?
Inherited from Middle English overcomen, inherited from Old English ofercuman (“to overcome, subdue, compel, conquer, obtain, attain, reach, overtake”). By surface analysis, over- + come. Cognate with Dutch overkomen, German überkommen, Danish ove... 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 "overcome", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

parallel#4,546Oklahoma#4,543moderate#4,541Maryland#4,539

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

shocked11 variantsstunning11 variantsgardens11 variantsexecuted11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "overcome". Here's where to go from here.

  • "overcome" maps to 5 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "overtime". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #4,545 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "O" letter cohort. O–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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