overlook
over·look/ˈoʊvəɹˌlʊk/noun, verb
overlook is spelled O-V-E-R-L-O-O-K: 8 letters and 2 syllables (over·look). It appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, overlook means “A vista or point that gives a view down toward something else” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of overlook is overlooks.
How many letters and syllables are in overlook?
| Letters | 8: O-V-E-R-L-O-O-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: over·look |
| In writing | 3.4 times per million words; the 14,307th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is overlook?
Overlook appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th 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 overlook?
- UK /ˈəʊvəˌlʊk/
- US /ˈoʊvəɹˌlʊk/
- /ˈovəɹlʉk/
Overlook has 2 syllables, split over·look in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-overlook2.wav, En-us-overlook.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-overlook.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of overlook
- overlooks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- overlooking participle, present
- overlooked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overlook mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A vista or point that gives a view down toward something else.
verb
- 1
To offer a view (of something) from a higher position.
Our hotel room overlooks the lake.
- 2
To fail to notice; to look over and beyond (anything) without seeing it.
These errors were overlooked by the proofreaders.
- 3
To pretend not to have noticed (something, especially a mistake or flaw); to pass over (something) without censure or punishment.
I’m not willing to overlook such bad behaviour.
- 4
To look down upon from above or from a higher location.
The hill overlooks the valley.
- 5
archaicTo supervise, oversee; to watch over.
to overlook a gang of laborers
- 6
archaicTo observe or watch (someone or something) surreptitiously or secretly.
- 7
archaicTo inspect (something); to examine; to look over carefully or repeatedly.
- 8
archaicTo look upon with an evil eye; to bewitch by looking upon; to fascinate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Overlook in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vue, panorama , surplomber , négliger, louper , passer outre |
| German | Übersicht, Überblick , nicht bemerken, übersehen , überblicken, überschauen |
| Portuguese | vista, mirante , desperceber , deixar passar |
| Spanish | mirador , pasar por alto, pasársele de alto , hacer la vista gorda, dejar pasar por alto, no tener en cuenta |
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 overlook come from?
Inherited from Middle English overloken. From Middle English overloken; equivalent to over- + look.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).