overshadow

/ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/

//ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ// verb

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

"overshadow" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“overshadow” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,295. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,295
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To obscure something by casting a shadow.

Corpus desk

Index EN-overshadow · overshadow · English

overshadow · rank #41,295 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,295
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH overran

Nearest frequency peer: overran (-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 “overshadow”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “overshadow” 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
Key facts for overshadow
PropertyValue
Headwordovershadow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#41,295
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “overshadow”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).overshadowlands 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 “overran” (#41,294), “p's” (#41,296), “overpopulation” (#41,293). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “overshadow” is #41,295. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around overshadow (IPA /ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #41,295 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for overshadow, with forms such as "oevrshadow", "overhsadow", and "overrshadow". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English overschadwen, overschadewe, from Old English ofersċeadwian (“to overshadow”), equivalent to over- + shadow. Compare with West Frisian oerskaduwe (“to overshadow”), Dutch overschaduwen (“to overshadow”), German überschatten (“to overshado… The correct English form is overshadow, spelled O-V-E-R-S-H-A-D-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To obscure something by casting a shadow.
  2. 2
    To dominate something and make it seem insignificant.
  3. 3
    To shelter or protect.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. While he thus ſpake, there came a cloud, and ouerſhadowed them, ⁊ they feared, as they entred into the cloude.
  2. A branch of rail transport that seems to been rather neglected by historians is that concerned with cliff railways, of which a fair number exist in Great Britain. This is probably because these lines are overshadowed by the more spectacular funicular railways in Switzerland and other mountainous regions; perhaps, too, because of the general habit of refer…

Etymology

From Middle English overschadwen, overschadewe, from Old English ofersċeadwian (“to overshadow”), equivalent to over- + shadow. Compare with West Frisian oerskaduwe (“to overshadow”), Dutch overschaduwen (“to overshadow”), German überschatten (“to overshadow”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ufarskadwjan, “to overshadow”), and more distantly, Old Norse yfirskyggja (“to overshadow”), Danish overskygge (“to overshadow”), Swedish överskugga (“to overshadow”), Old English ofersċūwan (“to overshadow”).

Synonyms

eclipseoutshadowoutshineoutdoput to shameupstagesurpassoutmatchoutstripdwarf

This word in other languages

ensombrecer(Español)ombrager(Français)überschatten(Deutsch)eclipsar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oevrshadow
  • overhsadow
  • overrshadow
  • oversahdow
  • overshaddow
  • overshadoww
  • overshadwo
  • overshaodw
  • overshdaow
  • overshhadow
  • oversshadow
  • ovesrhadow
  • ovreshadow
  • ovvershadow
  • voershadow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oevrshadow2overhsadow2overrshadow1oversahdow2overshaddow1overshadoww1overshadwo2overshaodw2
Edit distance from "overshadow"

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 "overshadow"?
"overshadow" is spelled O-V-E-R-S-H-A-D-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/.
What does "overshadow" mean?
As a verb, "overshadow" means: To obscure something by casting a shadow.
What are common misspellings of "overshadow"?
Common misspellings include "oevrshadow", "overhsadow", "overrshadow", "oversahdow", "overshaddow". The correct spelling is "overshadow".
How do you pronounce "overshadow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "overshadow" is /ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/. 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 "overshadow"?
From Middle English overschadwen, overschadewe, from Old English ofersċeadwian (“to overshadow”), equivalent to over- + shadow. Compare with West Frisian oerskaduwe (“to overshadow”), Dutch overschaduwen (“to overshadow”), German überschatten (“to... 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 "overshadow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

omniscient#41,285nauseating#41,273mujahideen#41,268McClelland#41,246

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

reposition15 variantsRosenstein15 variantslightbulb15 variantssandalwood15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list