overran

/ˌəʊ.vəˈɹæn/

//ˌəʊ.vəˈɹæn// verb

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

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

The verdict

“overran” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,294. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,294
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past of overrun

Corpus desk

Index EN-overran · overran · English

overran · rank #41,294 · 8 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,294
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH overpopulation

Nearest frequency peer: overpopulation (-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 “overran”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “overran” 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).

overran vs overrun
86% similar
overran vs oversaw
71% similar
overran vs Overton
57% similar

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

Key facts for overran
PropertyValue
Headwordoverran
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌəʊ.vəˈɹæn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#41,294
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “overran”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “overpopulation” (#41,293), “overshadow” (#41,295), “p's” (#41,296). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “overran” is #41,294. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around overran (IPA /ˌəʊ.vəˈɹæn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #41,294 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Dominant gloss: "simple past of overrun".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for overran, with forms such as "oevrran", "overan", and "overarn". 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, "overrun", "oversaw", "Overton", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is overran, spelled O-V-E-R-R-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past of overrun

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oevrran
  • overan
  • overarn
  • overrann
  • overrna
  • ovreran
  • ovverran
  • voerran

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oevrran2overan1overarn2overrann1overrna2ovreran2ovverran1voerran2
Edit distance from "overran"

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 "overran"?
"overran" is spelled O-V-E-R-R-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌəʊ.vəˈɹæn/.
What does "overran" mean?
As a verb, "overran" means: simple past of overrun
What words are commonly confused with "overran"?
"overran" is commonly confused with "overrun", "oversaw", "Overton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "overran"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "overran" is /ˌəʊ.vəˈɹæn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "overran" come from?
"overran" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 "overran", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Ossetia#41,291Pancras#41,298Parvati#41,301Paulsen#41,303

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

phish8 variantsNewry8 variantsrecede8 variantsKiefer8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list