override

/əʊ.vəˈɹaɪd/

//əʊ.vəˈɹaɪd// verb

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

"override" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“override” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,763. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,763
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To ride across or beyond something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-override · override · English

override · rank #16,763 · 9 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,763
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH nylon

Nearest frequency peer: nylon (-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 “override”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “override” 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).

override vs overtime
75% similar
override vs overrule
75% similar
override vs oversize
75% similar

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

Key facts for override
PropertyValue
Headwordoverride
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əʊ.vəˈɹaɪd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#16,763
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “override”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).overridelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “nylon” (#16,762), “ozone” (#16,764), “noodle” (#16,761). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “override” is #16,763. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around override (IPA /əʊ.vəˈɹaɪd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #16,763 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for override, with forms such as "oevrride", "overide", and "overirde". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "overtime", "overrule", "oversize", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English overriden, from Old English oferrīdan, equivalent to over- + ride. Cognate with Dutch overrijden, German überreiten, Danish override. The correct English form is override, spelled O-V-E-R-R-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To ride across or beyond something.
  2. 2
    To ride over the top of something, usually forcibly.
  3. 3
    To ride a horse too hard.
  4. 4
    To counteract the normal operation of something; to countermand with orders of higher priority.
  5. 5
    To give commands of a higher priority to an automated system; to take manual control of an automated system
  6. 6
    To define a new behaviour of a method by creating the same method of the superclass with the same name and signature.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Around 50 people were evacuated from a rush-hour London Overground service on October 12, after an eight-car train overrode the buffers at Enfield Town station.
  2. Separation of the caboose from the VAN train had caused the train to go into emergency braking and when Extra 3119 West struck the third rack car, the car overrode the locomotive, destroyed the remaining superstructure, and caused the locomotive to overturn the north rail. The near-instantaneous derailment of the rest of the train followed immediately.

Etymology

From Middle English overriden, from Old English oferrīdan, equivalent to over- + ride. Cognate with Dutch overrijden, German überreiten, Danish override.

This word in other languages

outrepasser(Français)übersteuern(Deutsch)sobrepor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oevrride
  • overide
  • overirde
  • overrdie
  • overridde
  • overried
  • ovreride
  • ovverride
  • voerride

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of override - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

oevrride2overide1overirde2overrdie2overridde1overried2ovreride2ovverride1
Edit distance from "override"

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 "override"?
"override" is spelled O-V-E-R-R-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əʊ.vəˈɹaɪd/.
What does "override" mean?
As a verb, "override" means: To ride across or beyond something.
What words are commonly confused with "override"?
"override" is commonly confused with "overtime", "overrule", "oversize". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "override"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "override" is /əʊ.vəˈɹaɪd/. 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 "override"?
From Middle English overriden, from Old English oferrīdan, equivalent to over- + ride. Cognate with Dutch overrijden, German überreiten, Danish override. 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 "override", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

paranoia#16,766Peruvian#16,769Prescott#16,776Mckenzie#16,747

Similar misspelling depth

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

paving9 variantsmuster9 variantsMozart9 variantspiping9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list