4 syllables: o, ver, bur, den. Stress on bur.
oh-vur-BUR-duhn
/oʊ.vɚˈbɝdən/
overburden is pronounced oh-vur-BUR-duhn (/oʊ.vɚˈbɝdən/). It has four syllables (o-ver-bur-den), with the stress on "bur". Overburden is a verb (and less commonly a noun) meaning to place too heavy a load on someone or something, or to impose excessive demands or responsibilities. It implies surpassing a reasonable limit, causing strain or impairment. The term often appears in contexts of labor, administration, or resource management, where capacity or resilience is exceeded by weight, tasks, or expectations.
Overburden is a verb (and less commonly a noun) meaning to place too heavy a load on someone or something, or to impose excessive demands or responsibilities. It implies surpassing a reasonable limit, causing strain or impairment. The term often appears in contexts of labor, administration, or resource management, where capacity or resilience is exceeded by weight, tasks, or expectations.
"The project team was overburdened with deadlines and administrative tasks."
"We don’t want to overburden you with too many changes at once."
"The company risks overburdening its staff if work volumes aren’t balanced."
Break it into three syllables: /ˌoʊ.vɚˈbɜːr.dən/. The primary stress is on BUR (the third syllable). The first two syllables are unstressed: /ˌoʊ/ sounds like ‘oh’, and /vɚ/ rhymes with 'fur' in rhotic accents; in non-rhotic accents you’ll hear a lighter /ə/. Finally, /bɜːr/ has a mid-back vowel, followed by /dən/ with a weak, unstressed schwa for the second-to-last syllable and a light 'n' at the end. Audio reference: listen to pronunciations on Pronounce or Forvo and compare IPA guides.
Common mistakes include misplacing stress (e.g., saying /ˌoʊˈvɜːr.bən.dən/ with stress on the second syllable) and flattening the /ɜː/ vowel in /bɜːr/. Another error is linking the first and second syllables too tightly, producing /ˈoʊvɚbərdən/ with a reduced /ɚ/ in the second syllable. Correct by keeping the /ˌoʊ/ lightly stressed, ensuring the /ɚ/ is reduced, and clearly articulating /bɜːr/ with a rounded back vowel before the rhotic /r/ in US. In non-rhotic accents, avoid dropping the /r/ in /bɜːrdən/ when the following syllable starts with a vowel.
In US English, you’ll hear /ˌoʊ.vɚˈbɜːr.dən/ with rhotic final r and a clear /ɜː/ in the stressed /bɜːr/. UK English typically uses /ˌəʊ.vəˈbɜː.dən/ with a reduced first syllable and a non-rhotic post-vocalic r; the /r/ in /bɜː.dən/ is not pronounced. Australian English tends to resemble US but with more centralized vowels; the /ɜː/ can sound closer to /ə/ or /ɜː/ depending on speaker. Listen to multiple sources to capture differences in vowel length and rhoticity.
The main challenges are the three-syllable structure with a stressed heavy syllable in the third position and the mid-back /ɜː/ vowel before /r/. Coarticulation from /v/ to /ɜː/ and the vowel reduction in the first two syllables can blur clarity. Additionally, the US rhotic /r/ after /ɜː/ is a standard cue; non-rhotic speakers omit the /r/ which can confuse learners. Focus on segmenting the word in chunks and exaggerating the /bɜːr/ syllable slightly before returning to a light /dən/.
A unique point is the combination of a clear stress on the third syllable along with a relatively tight transition from the /v/ to /b/ and the rhotic /r/ in US pronunciation. Would-be listeners often miscue the /ɜː/ vowel, producing an /ɜ/ or /ə/ without the rounded quality or forgetting the rhoticity in American speech. Emphasize the /bɜːr/ chunk, then deliver a light, unstressed /dən/ to finish smoothly.
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Overburden combines the prefix over- meaning 'excessively, too much' with burden, which comes from Old English byrnene or burdian, from Proto-Germanic *burþiz (a load or burden) and related to burden in Middle English. The first element over- is from Old English ofer, meaning ‘above, beyond, excessively’. The compound sense developed in the sense of placing excessive weight or obligation on someone or something; metaphorical uses extended to non-physical burdens (responsibilities, regulations). Earliest usages of over- as a prefix to burden appear in late Middle English to Early Modern English texts discussing workload and taxation burdens, with the verb form becoming more common in the 19th and 20th centuries as industrial and administrative systems grew more complex. The modern sense is stable in business, engineering, and social contexts, often implying unsustainability when capacity is exceeded. A related term, overburdening, forms the present participle and is common in policy discourse and labor discussions. First known uses appear in 1800s technical reports and economic writings; the word has persisted in both formal and colloquial registers, maintaining its core sense of applying excess load or obligation beyond an entity’s ability to sustain it.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "overburden" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "overburden"
-den sounds
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