Which to use
“translate” is a verb and “translator” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,991
- “translate” frequency rank
- #11,812
- “translator” frequency rank
- 19803
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | translate | translator |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another. | A person or thing that translates meaning from one language into another, particularly |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set translate and translator apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: translate is /tɹɑːnzˈleɪt/ while translator is /ˈtɹænzleɪtɚ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19803, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
translate is recorded at frequency rank #7,991, classified as averb, pronounced /tɹɑːnzˈleɪt/. translator is at rank #11,812, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtɹænzleɪtɚ/.
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 19803, this pair ranks #435,606 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of translate vs translator
Shared letters: alnrst. Private to "translate": e. Private to "translator": o.
"translate" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCCVCV · "translator" · 10 letters · shape CCVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- translate ← rtanslate · tarnslate · tranlsate · trannslate · transalte · translaet · translatte · transllate
- translator ← rtanslator · tarnslator · tranlsator · trannslator · transaltor · translaotr · translatorr · translatro
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "translate" and "translator" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "translate" or "translator"?
Remembering translate vs translator
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “translate”; for a noun, it's “translator”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “translate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable