overdue

/ˌəʊ.vəˈdju/

//ˌəʊ.vəˈdju// adj

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

"overdue" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“overdue” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,017. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,017
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Late; especially, past a deadline or too late to fulfill a need.

Corpus desk

Index EN-overdue · overdue · English

overdue · rank #15,017 · 9 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,017
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH outing

Nearest frequency peer: outing (-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 “overdue”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “overdue” 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).

overdue vs oversee
71% similar
overdue vs overrun
71% similar
overdue vs overuse
71% similar

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

Key facts for overdue
PropertyValue
Headwordoverdue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌəʊ.vəˈdju/
Letters7
Frequency rank#15,017
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “overdue”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “outing” (#15,016), “overload” (#15,018), “organise” (#15,015). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “overdue” is #15,017. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around overdue (IPA /ˌəʊ.vəˈdju/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #15,017 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Late; especially, past a deadline or too late to fulfill a need.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for overdue, with forms such as "oevrdue", "ovedrue", and "overddue". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "oversee", "overrun", "overuse", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From over- + due. The correct English form is overdue, spelled O-V-E-R-D-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Late; especially, past a deadline or too late to fulfill a need.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. his library books were three days overdue; my car is overdue for an oil change; she finally left on a long overdue vacation
  2. [Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look…

Etymology

From over- + due.

Synonyms

backwardbehindhandbelatedlatelatedoverduetardy

Antonyms

prematurepunctual

This word in other languages

atrasado(Español)en retard(Français)überfällig(Deutsch)tardio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oevrdue
  • ovedrue
  • overddue
  • overdeu
  • overrdue
  • overude
  • ovredue
  • ovverdue
  • voerdue

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of overdue - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

oevrdue2ovedrue2overddue1overdeu2overrdue1overude2ovredue2ovverdue1
Edit distance from "overdue"

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 "overdue"?
"overdue" is spelled O-V-E-R-D-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌəʊ.vəˈdju/.
What does "overdue" mean?
As an adjective, "overdue" means: Late; especially, past a deadline or too late to fulfill a need.
What words are commonly confused with "overdue"?
"overdue" is commonly confused with "oversee", "overrun", "overuse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "overdue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "overdue" is /ˌəʊ.vəˈdju/. 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 "overdue"?
From over- + due. 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 "overdue", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

payable#15,020pivotal#15,028provoke#15,035longing#14,989

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

primer9 variantsmating9 variantsmarcel9 variantsmantra9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list