How Do You Spell OVERBOOKED?

Pronunciation: [ˌə͡ʊvəbˈʊkt] (IPA)

The word "overbooked" is spelled as /ˌəʊvəˈbʊkt/ in IPA phonetic transcription. The first syllable "over" rhymes with "sofa", while the second syllable "booked" rhymes with "looked". The word refers to a situation where more reservations or tickets have been sold than the available space or seats. This can happen in various sectors, including aviation, hotels, and event planning. To avoid overbooking, businesses often practice yield management, a strategy to maximize revenue while maintaining customer satisfaction.

OVERBOOKED Meaning and Definition

  1. Overbooked refers to a situation where more people or reservations are accepted for a specific event, service, or facility than it can actually accommodate. This term commonly applies to airlines, hotels, restaurants, theaters, or any other entity that typically relies on a reservation or booking system.

    When an establishment becomes overbooked, it means that the number of reservations or tickets sold exceeds the available capacity or seats. This can occur due to various reasons, such as miscalculations, miscommunications, or deliberately accepting more reservations than the capacity with the assumption that some people won't show up.

    In the context of airlines, an overbooked situation may arise due to the practice of selling more tickets than available seats, considering a certain percentage of passengers usually do not show up for their flights. However, an unexpected increase in passengers who arrive for their flights can result in a lack of seating, leading to potential inconveniences and difficult decisions for the airline.

    Overbooking can cause inconvenience and frustration for customers who are denied entry or service due to space constraints. In such cases, establishments may offer compensation or alternative arrangements to mitigate the inconvenience caused by their overbooking practices.

    Overall, being overbooked signifies a condition wherein more reservations or tickets have been accepted than an establishment's actual capacity, potentially leading to difficulties accommodating all customers or visitors.

Common Misspellings for OVERBOOKED

Etymology of OVERBOOKED

The word "overbooked" is formed from the combination of two words: "over" and "booked".

The word "booked" comes from the Old English word "bōcian", which means "to grant or assign by charter" or "to record in a book". It later evolved to mean "to reserve or make arrangements for something" or "to engage someone's services".

The prefix "over-" is derived from Old English and means "beyond" or "excessive". It is used to indicate something that goes beyond a normal or expected limit.

Therefore, the word "overbooked" essentially means "having made more reservations or arrangements than can be accommodated". It is typically used to describe situations where more seats, tickets, or rooms have been reserved or sold than are available.

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