overkill
/ˈoʊ.vɚˌkɪl/noun, verb
overkill is spelled O-V-E-R-K-I-L-L: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, overkill means “A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in overkill?
| Letters | 8: O-V-E-R-K-I-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,649th 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 overkill?
Overkill appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th 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 overkill?
- UK /ˈəʊ.vəˌkɪl/
- US /ˈoʊ.vɚˌkɪl/
As a verb (“To destroy something with more (nuclear) force than is…”): /ˌəʊvəˈkɪl/, /ˌoʊvɚˈkɪl/, /ˈoʊvɚˌkɪl/.
Overkill 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: En-us-overkill.ogg, En-us-overkill-2.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of overkill
- overkills present, singular, he/she/it
- overkilling participle, present
- overkilled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overkill mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons.
- 2
Destruction beyond what is necessary to kill, especially in murder.
- 3
An unnecessary excess of whatever is needed to achieve a goal.
24 hours of TV coverage of the US election verged on overkill.
- 4
An unnecessary excess of disposal because of too high criteria of inspection.
verb
- 1
To destroy something with more (nuclear) force than is required.
- 2
To dispose of too many items because of too-high criteria of inspection.
- 3
To do something excessive to achieve a goal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Overkill in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense unnecessary excess:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | excès, surpuissance |
| German | Overkill, Übermaß |
| Portuguese | exagero |
| Spanish | excesivo, matar moscas a cañonazos, exageración, desmesuramiento, desmesura, exceso |
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 overkill come from?
From over- + kill.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).