Which to use
“operation” and “operator” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,279
- “operation” frequency rank
- #4,178
- “operator” frequency rank
- 5457
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | operation | operator |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The method by which a device performs its function. | A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc. |
Where the eye mixes operation and operator
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses operation with operator
A purely visual mix-up. operation (/ˌɒp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/) and operator (/ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5457, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
operation is recorded at frequency rank #1,279, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˌɒp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/. operator is at rank #4,178, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 5457, this pair ranks #515,273 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of operation vs operator
Shared letters: aeoprt. Private to "operation": in. Private to "operator": -.
"operation" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVVC · "operator" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "operation" for "operator" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "operation" or "operator" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "operation" and "operator" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "operation" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "operator" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #515,273 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "operation" and "operator" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "operation vs oration". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #515,273 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.