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 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,057
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cook for too long or at too high a temperature.

Corpus desk

Index EN-overcook · overcook · English

overcook · rank #77,057 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,057
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH overdid

Nearest frequency peer: overdid (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “overcook”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “overcook” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

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

Long-tail rank of “overcook” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “overdid” (#77,058), “Osho” (#77,055), “overdramatic” (#77,059). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “overcook” is #77,057. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

overcook is uncommon English at frequency #77,057 among 1,431 “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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The runner overcooked it on the first lap, and ended up finishing last.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "overcook", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

oleander#77,047Perrault#77,082Phrygian#77,088Nakayama#77,021

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list