overdose

/ˈəʊvə(ɹ)ˌdəʊs/

//ˈəʊvə(ɹ)ˌdəʊs// noun

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

The verdict

“overdose” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,576. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,576
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An excessive and dangerous dose of a drug.

Corpus desk

Index EN-overdose · overdose · English

overdose · rank #13,576 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,576
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH outraged

Nearest frequency peer: outraged (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “overdose”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “overdose” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

overdose vs overdue
75% similar
overdose vs overuse
75% similar
overdose vs overdo
75% similar

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

Key facts for overdose
PropertyValue
Headwordoverdose
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈəʊvə(ɹ)ˌdəʊs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,576
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “overdose”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).overdoselands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “outraged” (#13,575), “Pamela” (#13,577), “organizer” (#13,574). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “overdose” is #13,576. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around overdose (IPA /ˈəʊvə(ɹ)ˌdəʊs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,576 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An excessive and dangerous dose of a drug.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for overdose, with forms such as "oevrdose", "ovedrose", and "overddose". 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, "overdue", "overuse", "overdo", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From over- + dose. The correct English form is overdose, spelled O-V-E-R-D-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An excessive and dangerous dose of a drug.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to die of a heroin overdose
  2. It works for a while, but when Spider-Man maneuvers him ouside the hospital room where Harry is recovering from his overdose, some part of the Goblin's brain that's still the loving father surfaces, drives him unconscious, and when next he wakes up, all memory of his being a super-villain is conveniently wiped clean.

Etymology

From over- + dose.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oevrdose
  • ovedrose
  • overddose
  • overdoes
  • overdosse
  • overdsoe
  • overodse
  • overrdose
  • ovredose
  • ovverdose
  • voerdose

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oevrdose2ovedrose2overddose1overdoes2overdosse1overdsoe2overodse2overrdose1
Edit distance from "overdose"

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 "overdose"?
"overdose" is spelled O-V-E-R-D-O-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈəʊvə(ɹ)ˌdəʊs/.
What does "overdose" mean?
As a noun, "overdose" means: An excessive and dangerous dose of a drug.
What words are commonly confused with "overdose"?
"overdose" is commonly confused with "overdue", "overuse", "overdo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "overdose"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "overdose" is /ˈəʊvə(ɹ)ˌdəʊs/. 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 "overdose"?
From over- + dose. 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 "overdose", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list