oversensitive

adj

"oversensitive" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“oversensitive” is uncommon English (frequency #92,967 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,967
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having excessive sensitivity; reacting to stimuli too readily; thin-skinned.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oversensitive · oversensitive · English

oversensitive · rank #92,967 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #92,967
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH overbought

Nearest frequency peer: overbought (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “oversensitive”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “oversensitive” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for oversensitive
PropertyValue
Headwordoversensitive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters13
Frequency rank#92,967
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “oversensitive” in English

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).oversensitivefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “overbought” (#92,966), “OWI” (#92,968), “paan” (#92,970). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “oversensitive” is #92,967. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

oversensitive is uncommon English at frequency #92,967 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Having excessive sensitivity; reacting to stimuli too readily; thin-skinned.".

Zero misspellings are on record for oversensitive in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From over- + sensitive. The correct English form is oversensitive, spelled O-V-E-R-S-E-N-S-I-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having excessive sensitivity; reacting to stimuli too readily; thin-skinned.

Etymology

From over- + sensitive.

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 "oversensitive"?
"oversensitive" is spelled O-V-E-R-S-E-N-S-I-T-I-V-E.
What does "oversensitive" mean?
As an adjective, "oversensitive" means: Having excessive sensitivity; reacting to stimuli too readily; thin-skinned.
What is the origin of the word "oversensitive"?
From over- + sensitive. 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 "oversensitive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list