actor
act·or/ˈæk.tɚ/noun
actor is spelled A-C-T-O-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables (act·or). It appears 45 times per million words in written English, the 2,253rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, actor means “Someone or something that takes part in some action; a doer, an agent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of actor is actors.
How many letters and syllables are in actor?
| Letters | 5: A-C-T-O-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: act·or |
| In writing | 45 times per million words; the 2,253rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is actor?
Actor appears 45 times per million words in written English, the 2,253rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce actor?
- UK /ˈæk.təː/
- UK [ˈæk.tʰəː]
- US /ˈæk.tɚ/
Actor has 2 syllables, split act·or in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-actor.wav, En-us-actor.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with actor
Sounds like: acter (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with actor?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as actor from its last stressed vowel (/æktəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of actor
- actors plural
- acter
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does actor mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteSomeone who institutes a legal suit; a plaintiff or complainant.
- 2
obsoleteSomeone acting on behalf of someone else; a guardian.
- 3
Someone or something that takes part in some action; a doer, an agent.
- 4
A person who acts a part in a theatrical play or (later) in film or television; a dramatic performer.
- 5
obsoleteAn advocate or proctor in civil courts or causes.
- 6
The subject performing the action of a verb.
- 7
The entity that performs a role (in use case analysis).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate actor?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of actor: act..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Actor in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | faiseur, faiseuse , acteur, actrice |
| German | Handelnder, Handelnde (der / die Handelnde) , Schauspieler, Schauspielerin, Akteur, Akteurin |
| Portuguese | agente , ator, atriz |
| Spanish | actor |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does actor come from?
Inherited from Middle English actour, from Anglo-Norman actor, Middle French actor, and their source, Latin āctor (“doer”), from agō (“to do”). Equivalent to act + -or. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄκτωρ (áktōr, “leader”), from ἄγω (ágō, “lead, carry, convey, bring”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).