overuse
/ˌoʊvɚˈjuːz/verb, noun
overuse is spelled O-V-E-R-U-S-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, overuse means “To use too much of (something); to use (it) too often” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in overuse?
| Letters | 7: O-V-E-R-U-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,214th 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 overuse?
Overuse appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th 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 overuse?
- UK /ˌəʊvəˈjuːz/
- US /ˌoʊvɚˈjuːz/
As a noun (“excessive use”): /ˌəʊvəˈjuːs/, /ˌoʊvɚˈjuːs/.
Overuse 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-overuse_(verb).wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-overuse_(noun).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with overuse?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as overuse from its last stressed vowel (/uz/):
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 overuse
- overuses present, singular, he/she/it
- overusing participle, present
- overused participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overuse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To use too much of (something); to use (it) too often.
noun
- 1
excessive use
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Overuse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | surutiliser, galvauder , surutilisation |
| Spanish | usar con exceso, sobreutilizar, desperdiciar, trillar , sobreúso, sobreutilización |
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 overuse come from?
From over- + use.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).