overtime

/ˈəʊ.və.taɪm/

//ˈəʊ.və.taɪm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“overtime” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,826. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,826
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Working time outside of one's regular hours.

Corpus desk

Index EN-overtime · overtime · English

overtime · rank #7,826 · 11 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,826
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH packs

Nearest frequency peer: packs (+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 “overtime”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “overtime” 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).

overtime vs overture
75% similar
overtime vs onetime
75% similar
overtime vs overcome
75% similar

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

Key facts for overtime
PropertyValue
Headwordovertime
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈəʊ.və.taɪm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,826
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “overtime”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).overtimelands 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 “packs” (#7,827), “optimal” (#7,824), “permits” (#7,828). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “overtime” is #7,826. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around overtime (IPA /ˈəʊ.və.taɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,826 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for overtime, with forms such as "oevrtime", "overitme", and "overrtime". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "overture", "onetime", "overcome", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From over- + time. The correct English form is overtime, spelled O-V-E-R-T-I-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Working time outside of one's regular hours.
  2. 2
    The rate of pay, usually higher, for work done outside of or in addition to regular hours.
  3. 3
    An extra period of play when a contest has a tie score at the end of regulation.
  4. 4
    A period of time longer than scheduled.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Workers are usually paid extra for working overtime.
  2. Nor is it good for the name of the railway industry that skilled men should have to put in so much overtime to keep up financially with the Joneses in other walks of life.

Etymology

From over- + time.

This word in other languages

heures supplémentaires(Français)Überstunden(Deutsch)prolongamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oevrtime
  • overitme
  • overrtime
  • overtiem
  • overtimme
  • overtmie
  • overttime
  • ovetrime
  • ovretime
  • ovvertime
  • voertime

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of overtime - 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.

oevrtime2overitme2overrtime1overtiem2overtimme1overtmie2overttime1ovetrime2
Edit distance from "overtime"

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 "overtime"?
"overtime" is spelled O-V-E-R-T-I-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈəʊ.və.taɪm/.
What does "overtime" mean?
As a noun, "overtime" means: Working time outside of one's regular hours.
What words are commonly confused with "overtime"?
"overtime" is commonly confused with "overture", "onetime", "overcome". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "overtime"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "overtime" is /ˈəʊ.və.taɪm/. 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 "overtime"?
From over- + time. 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 "overtime", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

profound#7,835modeling#7,816medicare#7,815junction#7,806

Similar misspelling depth

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

permits11 variantsrebellion11 variantshunters11 variantsterrified11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list