overtake
/əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/
"overtake" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“overtake” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,653 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #19,653
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | overtake |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #19,653 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “overtake” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for overtake is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,653 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1To pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).
- 2To become greater than something else in quantity, worth, etc.
- 3To take by surprise; surprise and overcome; carry away.
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
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.
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"?
What does "overtake" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "overtake"?
How do you pronounce "overtake"?
What is the origin of the word "overtake"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “overtake”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-V-E-R-T-A-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əʊvə(ɹ)ˈteɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “overtime” - see the side-by-side comparison. overtake vs overtime
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.