overworked

Name: overworked, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“overworked” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,027. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,027
frequency rank, English: 1,431
“O” headwords: 15
tracked misspellings: 3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Subjected to too much work.

Corpus desk

Index EN-overworked · overworked · English

overworked · rank #29,027 · 15 variants · 3 confusables

FREQ-MID #29,027
LEN-MEGA 10 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
VAR-HIGH 15 variants
BOOK-MID 1,431
PHOTO-FINISH overpowered

Nearest frequency peer: overpowered (-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.

overalls

70,976
overpowered

70,975
overworked

70,974
Padilla

70,973
pantomime

70,972
peacetime

70,970

What this shows “overworked” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

overworked vs overwork

80% similar

overworked vs overlooked

80% similar

overworked vs overcooked

80% similar

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

Key facts for overworked
Property	Value
Headword	overworked
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
Letters	10
Frequency rank	#29,027
Misspellings tracked	15
Confusable pairs	3
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “overworked”

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

#29,027

#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 “overpowered” (#29,026), “Padilla” (#29,028), “overalls” (#29,025). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “overworked” is #29,027. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around overworked, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #29,027 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for overworked, with forms such as "oevrworked", "overowrked", and "overrworked". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "overwork", "overlooked", "overcooked", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From over- + worked. The correct English form is overworked, spelled O-V-E-R-W-O-R-K-E-D.

Definition

1
Subjected to too much work.
2
Having been overused such that it has lost its meaning; trite; banal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Overworked and underpaid? Then quit your job and become a pro darts player.
Miss Suu Kyi’s overworked advisers[…]argue that people have to be realistic about what can be achieved in a short time and on a slender budget.

Etymology

From over- + worked.

This word in other languages

débordé(Français)überarbeitet(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

oevrworked
overowrked
overrworked
overwokred
overworekd
overworkde
overworkedd
overworkked
overworrked
overwroked
overwworked
ovewrorked
ovreworked
ovverworked
voerworked

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of overworked - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "overworked"

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 "overworked"?

"overworked" is spelled O-V-E-R-W-O-R-K-E-D.

What does "overworked" mean?

As an adjective, "overworked" means: Subjected to too much work.

What words are commonly confused with "overworked"?

"overworked" is commonly confused with "overwork", "overlooked", "overcooked". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

What is the origin of the word "overworked"?

From over- + worked. 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 "overworked", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nucleotide#29,016 positional#29,044 predicated#29,046 monolithic#29,002

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

rebounding15 variants militarily15 variants regimental15 variants metastatic15 variants