overstate
/ˌoʊ.vɚˈsteɪt/verb
overstate is spelled O-V-E-R-S-T-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, overstate means “To state or claim too much” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in overstate?
| Letters | 9: O-V-E-R-S-T-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,187th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 overstate?
Overstate appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th 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 overstate?
- UK /ˌəʊ.vəˈsteɪt/
- US /ˌoʊ.vɚˈsteɪt/
Overstate 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: En-us-overstate.ogg, En-au-overstate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with overstate?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as overstate from its last stressed vowel (/eɪt/):
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 overstate
- overstates present, singular, he/she/it
- overstating participle, present
- overstated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overstate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To state or claim too much.
- 2
To exaggerate; to state or claim to a greater degree than reality.
I think it is overstating matters to say that an hour online is spending all night on the computer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Overstate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to exaggerate; to state or claim too much:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | exagérer |
| German | übertreiben |
| Portuguese | exagerar |
| Spanish | exagerar, hiperbolizar, sobreestimar, supervalorar |
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 overstate come from?
From over- + state.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).