How to pronounce overreach
Say it like oh-ver-REECH. Overreach has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the third one (REECH).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce overreach. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- oh
- ver
- REECH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Overreach pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- ohGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "o" in go.
- verKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- REECHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of overreach
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: oh-vuh-REECH.
What does overreach mean?
- To reach above or beyond, especially to an excessive degree.
- To defeat or override a person's interest in property; (UK, specifically) of a holder of the legal title of real property: by mortgaging or selling the legal title to a third party, to cause another person's equitable right in the property to be dissolved and to be replaced by an equitable right in
- To do something beyond an appropriate limit, or beyond one's ability; to overextend.
- An act of extending or reaching over, especially if too far or too much; overextension.
- Of a horse: an act of striking the heel of a forefoot with the toe of a hindfoot; an injury caused by this action.
Where does overreach come from?
The verb is from Middle English overrechen (“to rise above; to extend beyond or over; to encroach; to catch, overtake; to reach; to obtain wrongfully (?); to take up (a book) to revise it”) [and other forms], equivalent to over- + reach; th
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with overreach
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of overreach.
Questions about saying overreach
How do you pronounce overreach?
Say oh-ver-REECH. The American pronunciation is /ˌoʊvərˈritʃ/. In British English it is /ˌəʊvəˈriːtʃ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in overreach?
Overreach has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the third one (REECH). Broken into parts: oh · ver · REECH.
Is overreach pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /ˌəʊvəˈriːtʃ/ (oh-vuh-REECH).