overtake

/əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/

//əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk// verb

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

"overtake" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“overtake” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,653. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,653
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).

Corpus desk

Index EN-overtake · overtake · English

overtake · rank #19,653 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,653
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH orchid

Nearest frequency peer: orchid (-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 “overtake”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “overtake” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

overtake vs overtime
75% similar
overtake vs overture
75% similar
overtake vs overtaken
89% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for overtake
PropertyValue
Headwordovertake
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#19,653
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “overtake”

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).overtakelands 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 “orchid” (#19,652), “pax” (#19,655), “omission” (#19,650). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “overtake” is #19,653. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around overtake (IPA /əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #19,653 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for overtake, with forms such as "oevrtake", "overatke", and "overrtake". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "overtime", "overture", "overtaken", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English overtaken, likely a replacement alteration (as the Middle English verb taken replaced nimen (“to take”)), of Middle English overnimen (“to overtake”), from Old English oferniman (“to take by surprise, overtake”), equivalent to over- + take. The correct English form is overtake, spelled O-V-E-R-T-A-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).
  2. 2
    To become greater than something else in quantity, worth, etc.
  3. 3
    To take by surprise; surprise and overcome; carry away.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The racehorse overtook the lead pack on the last turn.
  2. The car was so slow we were overtaken by a bus.

Etymology

From Middle English overtaken, likely a replacement alteration (as the Middle English verb taken replaced nimen (“to take”)), of Middle English overnimen (“to overtake”), from Old English oferniman (“to take by surprise, overtake”), equivalent to over- + take.

This word in other languages

rebasar(Español)dépasser(Français)überholen(Deutsch)ultrapassar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oevrtake
  • overatke
  • overrtake
  • overtaek
  • overtakke
  • overtkae
  • overttake
  • ovetrake
  • ovretake
  • ovvertake
  • voertake

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of overtake - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

oevrtake2overatke2overrtake1overtaek2overtakke1overtkae2overttake1ovetrake2
Edit distance from "overtake"

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 "overtake"?
"overtake" is spelled O-V-E-R-T-A-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/.
What does "overtake" mean?
As a verb, "overtake" means: To pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).
What words are commonly confused with "overtake"?
"overtake" is commonly confused with "overtime", "overture", "overtaken". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "overtake"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "overtake" is /əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/. 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 "overtake"?
From Middle English overtaken, likely a replacement alteration (as the Middle English verb taken replaced nimen (“to take”)), of Middle English overnimen (“to overtake”), from Old English oferniman (“to take by surprise, overtake”), equivalent 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 "overtake", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

omission#19,650meddling#19,644perished#19,662Labrador#19,632

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

McBride11 variantsremnant11 variantsSanford11 variantshurtful11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list