overshadow
/ˌoʊ.vɚˈʃæd.oʊ/verb
overshadow is spelled O-V-E-R-S-H-A-D-O-W: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, overshadow means “To obscure something by casting a shadow” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in overshadow?
| Letters | 10: O-V-E-R-S-H-A-D-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,154th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is overshadow?
Overshadow appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th 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 overshadow?
- UK /ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/
- US /ˌoʊ.vɚˈʃæd.oʊ/
Overshadow has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-overshadow.ogg, En-au-overshadow.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of overshadow
- overshadows present, singular, he/she/it
- overshadowing participle, present
- overshadowed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overshadow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To obscure something by casting a shadow.
- 2
To dominate something and make it seem insignificant.
- 3
To shelter or protect.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Overshadow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ombrager , éclipser (la gloire, une personne) |
| German | überschatten |
| Spanish | asombrar, ensombrecer , eclipsar (persona, éxito), deslucir (ocasión), opacar |
| Portuguese | eclipsar, ofuscar |
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 overshadow come from?
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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).