overflow
/ˈəʊvəˌfləʊ/noun, verb
overflow is spelled O-V-E-R-F-L-O-W: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,342nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, overflow means “The spillage resultant from overflowing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of overflow is overflows.
How many letters and syllables are in overflow?
| Letters | 8: O-V-E-R-F-L-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.5 times per million words; the 17,342nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is overflow?
Overflow appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,342nd 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 overflow?
- /ˈəʊvəˌfləʊ/
- /ˈoʊvɚˌfloʊ/
As a verb (“To flow over the brim of (a container)”): /ˌəʊvəˈfləʊ/, /ˌoʊvɚˈfloʊ/.
Overflow has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-overflow_(noun).wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-overflow_(verb).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of overflow
- overflows plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- overflowing participle, present
- overflowed past, participle
- overflown participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overflow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The spillage resultant from overflowing.
- 2
An outlet for escape of excess material.
- 3
Excess, superabundance
- 4
The situation where a value exceeds the available numeric range.
verb
- 1
To flow over the brim of (a container).
The river overflowed the levee into the road.
- 2
To cover with a liquid, literally or figuratively.
The flash flood overflowed most of the parkland and some homes.
- 3
To cause an overflow.
- 4
To flow over the brim of a container.
The waters overflowed into the Ninth Ward.
- 5
To be subject to a load that exceeds limits or capacity.
The hospital ER was overflowing with flu cases.
- 6
To have something in superabundance; to abound in something.
- 7
To (cause to) exceed the available numeric range.
Calculating 255+1 will overflow an eight-bit byte.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Overflow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | débordement , déborder |
| German | Übergelaufene(s), Übergeflossene(s) , überfließen, überlaufen , Überlauf , Uberschuß |
| Portuguese | transbordo, transbordamento , transbordar , ladrão , overflow |
| Spanish | desbordamiento, derrame, rebalse, rebosadura, rebosamiento, rebose |
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 overflow come from?
From Middle English overflowen, from Old English oferflōwan, equivalent to over- + flow.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).