oversleep
/oʊvəɹˈslip/verb
oversleep is spelled O-V-E-R-S-L-E-E-P: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 101,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, oversleep means “To sleep for longer than intended” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in oversleep?
| Letters | 9: O-V-E-R-S-L-E-E-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 101,613th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is oversleep?
Oversleep appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 101,613th 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 oversleep?
- UK /əʊvəˈsliːp/
- US /oʊvəɹˈslip/
Oversleep has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-oversleep.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with oversleep?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as oversleep from its last stressed vowel (/ip/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: sleepover.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of oversleep
- oversleeps present, singular, he/she/it
- oversleeping participle, present
- overslept participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does oversleep mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To sleep for longer than intended.
I overslept and was late for school.
- 2
archaicTo sleep for longer than one intended.
- 3
To sleep beyond (a given time), to sleep through (an event etc.).
to oversleep one's usual hour of rising
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Oversleep in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to sleep for longer than planned:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | trop dormir |
| German | verschlafen, verpennen |
| Portuguese | dormir demais, adormecer |
| Spanish | quedarse dormido |
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 oversleep come from?
From over- + sleep.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).