overcook

/oʊ.vɚ.kʊk/

//oʊ.vɚ.kʊk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“overcook” is uncommon English (frequency #77,057 among 15,494 “O” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,057
frequency rank, English
15,494
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cook for too long or at too high a temperature.

Key facts for overcook
PropertyValue
Headwordovercook
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/oʊ.vɚ.kʊk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#77,057
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “overcook” 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). overcook lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

overcook is uncommon English at frequency #77,057 among 15,494 “O” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /oʊ.vɚ.kʊk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

overcook has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From over- + cook. The correct English form is overcook, spelled O-V-E-R-C-O-O-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cook for too long or at too high a temperature.
  2. 2
    To do something to excess; to overdo; to ruin due to excessive effort.

Etymology

From over- + cook.

Antonyms

undercook

This word in other languages

surcuire(Français)zerkochen(Deutsch)

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 "overcook"?
"overcook" is spelled O-V-E-R-C-O-O-K. The IPA pronunciation is /oʊ.vɚ.kʊk/.
What does "overcook" mean?
As a verb, "overcook" means: To cook for too long or at too high a temperature.
How do you pronounce "overcook"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "overcook" is /oʊ.vɚ.kʊk/. 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 "overcook"?
From over- + cook. 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 “overcook”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is O-V-E-R-C-O-O-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /oʊ.vɚ.kʊk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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