overtook

/oʊ.vɚˈtʊk/

//oʊ.vɚˈtʊk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“overtook” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,658. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,658
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past of overtake

Corpus desk

Index EN-overtook · overtook · English

overtook · rank #28,658 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,658
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH overtaking

Nearest frequency peer: overtaking (-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 “overtook”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “overtook” 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).

overtook vs overwork
75% similar
overtook vs Overton
63% similar
overtook vs overlook
88% similar

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

Key facts for overtook
PropertyValue
Headwordovertook
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/oʊ.vɚˈtʊk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#28,658
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “overtook”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).overtooklands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “overtaking” (#28,657), “overture” (#28,659), “outperform” (#28,656). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “overtook” is #28,658. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around overtook (IPA /oʊ.vɚˈtʊk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #28,658 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Dominant gloss: "simple past of overtake".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for overtook, with forms such as "oevrtook", "overotok", and "overrtook". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "overwork", "Overton", "overlook", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is overtook, spelled O-V-E-R-T-O-O-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past of overtake

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oevrtook
  • overotok
  • overrtook
  • overtok
  • overtoko
  • overtookk
  • overttook
  • ovetrook
  • ovretook
  • ovvertook
  • voertook

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oevrtook2overotok2overrtook1overtok1overtoko2overtookk1overttook1ovetrook2
Edit distance from "overtook"

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 "overtook"?
"overtook" is spelled O-V-E-R-T-O-O-K. The IPA pronunciation is /oʊ.vɚˈtʊk/.
What does "overtook" mean?
As a verb, "overtook" means: simple past of overtake
What words are commonly confused with "overtook"?
"overtook" is commonly confused with "overwork", "Overton", "overlook". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "overtook"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "overtook" is /oʊ.vɚˈtʊk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "overtook" come from?
"overtook" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "overtook", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

overture#28,659peddling#28,665pretense#28,675reappear#28,685

Similar misspelling depth

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

pepperoni11 variantsNewbury11 variantsrearrange11 variantsredeemer11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list