overdo
over·do/ˌoʊvɚˈdu/verb
overdo is spelled O-V-E-R-D-O: 6 letters and 2 syllables (over·do). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “overdo vs overdue” about 170 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, overdo means “To do too much; to exceed what is proper or true in doing; to carry too far” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in overdo?
| Letters | 6: O-V-E-R-D-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: over·do |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,320th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is overdo?
Overdo appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th 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 overdo?
- UK /ˌəʊvəˈduː/
- US /ˌoʊvɚˈdu/
Overdo has 2 syllables, split over·do in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-overdo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with overdo
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with overdo?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as overdo from its last stressed vowel (/u/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of overdo
- overdoes present, singular, he/she/it
- overdoing participle, present
- overdid past
- overdone participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overdo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To do too much; to exceed what is proper or true in doing; to carry too far.
I overdid the sweets during the holidays and put on some weight.
- 2
To cook for too long.
to overdo the meat
- 3
To give (someone or something) too much work; to require too much effort or strength of (someone); to use up too much of (something).
to overdo one’s strength
- 4
obsoleteTo do more than (someone); to do (something) to a greater extent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Overdo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | en faire trop , trop cuire |
| German | übertreiben , zu lange kochen |
| Portuguese | exagerar |
| Spanish | pasarse con, írsele la mano, exigirse demasiado en, excederse con, desmesurarse con, sobrehacer |
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 overdo come from?
From Middle English overdon, from Old English oferdōn, equivalent to over- + do.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).