accelerator

/əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ/

//əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"accelerator" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“accelerator” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,630. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,630
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who, or that which, accelerates.

Corpus desk

Index EN-accelerator · accelerator · English

accelerator · rank #16,630 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,630
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH accuses

Nearest frequency peer: accuses (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “accelerator”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “accelerator” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

accelerator vs accelerate
82% similar
accelerator vs accelerated
82% similar
accelerator vs acceleration
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for accelerator
PropertyValue
Headwordaccelerator
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ/
Letters11
Frequency rank#16,630
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “accelerator”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).acceleratorlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “accuses” (#16,631), “acrylic” (#16,632), “Ames” (#16,633). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “accelerator” is #16,630. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around accelerator (IPA /əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,630 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for accelerator, with forms such as "acceelrator", "acceleartor", and "acceleraotr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "accelerate", "accelerated", "acceleration", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: * First attested in 1611. * (motor vehicle): First attested in 1900. * accelerate + -or The correct English form is accelerator, spelled A-C-C-E-L-E-R-A-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who, or that which, accelerates.
  2. 2
    A device for causing acceleration.
  3. 3
    A substance which speeds up chemical reactions.
  4. 4
    A pedal causing the vehicle to accelerate when it is pressed.
  5. 5
    A chemical that reduces development time.
  6. 6
    A device that accelerates charged subatomic particles; a particle accelerator.
  7. 7
    A muscle or nerve that speeds the performance of an action.
  8. 8
    An accelerator key.
  9. 9
    A computer component using dedicated hardware to accelerate the processing and display of graphics.
  10. 10
    A light van to take mails between a post office and a railway station.
  11. 11
    A mentoring program for startup companies.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how accelerator appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The Second World War is said to have been a great accelerator for many scientific findings.
  2. As soon as you get onto the slipway, push the accelerator.

Etymology

* First attested in 1611. * (motor vehicle): First attested in 1900. * accelerate + -or

Synonyms

gas pedalgasthrottlego pedalparticle acceleratoratom smasher

This word in other languages

acelerador(Español)accélérateur(Français)Beschleuniger(Deutsch)acelerador(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acceelrator
  • acceleartor
  • acceleraotr
  • acceleratorr
  • acceleratro
  • accelerattor
  • accelerrator
  • accelertaor
  • accellerator
  • accelreator
  • accleerator
  • aceclerator
  • acelerator
  • cacelerator

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of accelerator - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

acceelrator2acceleartor2acceleraotr2acceleratorr1acceleratro2accelerattor1accelerrator1accelertaor2
Edit distance from "accelerator"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "accelerator"?
"accelerator" is spelled A-C-C-E-L-E-R-A-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ/.
What does "accelerator" mean?
As a noun, "accelerator" means: One who, or that which, accelerates.
What words are commonly confused with "accelerator"?
"accelerator" is commonly confused with "accelerate", "accelerated", "acceleration". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "accelerator"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accelerator" is /əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "accelerator"?
* First attested in 1611. * (motor vehicle): First attested in 1900. * accelerate + -or See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "accelerator", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

proficiency#16,567handicapped#16,722incarnation#16,731linguistics#16,516

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Venezuelan14 variantscamouflage14 variantsrepertoire14 variantsDickinson14 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list