automatic
au·to·mat·ic/ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/adjective, noun
automatic is spelled A-U-T-O-M-A-T-I-C: 9 letters and 4 syllables (au·to·mat·ic). It appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,875th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, automatic means “Capable of operating without external control or intervention” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in automatic?
| Letters | 9: A-U-T-O-M-A-T-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: au·to·mat·ic |
| In writing | 23 times per million words; the 3,875th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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 automatic?
Automatic appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,875th 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 automatic?
- UK /ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/
- US /ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/
- US [ˌɔː.ɾəˈmæɾ.ɪk]
Automatic has 4 syllables, split au·to·mat·ic in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-automatic.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with automatic?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as automatic from its last stressed vowel (/ætɪk/):
- democratic
- diplomatic
- static
- problematic
- systematic
- traumatic
- bureaucratic
- erratic
- pancreatic
- aromatic
- enigmatic
- hepatic
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 automatic
- more automatic comparative
- most automatic superlative
- dubious superlative
- automatics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does automatic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Capable of operating without external control or intervention.
The automatic clothes washer was a great labor-saving device.
- 2
Done out of habit or without conscious thought.
The reaction was automatic: flight!
- 3
Necessary, inevitable, prescribed by logic, law, etc.
Spitting at another player means an automatic red card.
- 4
Firing continuously as long as the trigger is pressed until ammunition is exhausted.
Fully automatic weapons cannot be legally owned by private citizens in the US, except in very special circumstances, as by private security companies.
- 5
An autoloader; a semi-automatic or self-loading pistol, as opposed to a revolver or other manually actuated handgun, which fires one shot per pull of the trigger; distinct from machine guns.
The US Army adopted John Browning's M1911 pistol as its sidearm, chambered in .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol).
- 6
Automatically added to and removed from the stack during the course of function calls.
- 7
Having one or more finite-state automata.
noun
- 1
A car with an automatic transmission; the transmission itself.
I never learned to drive a stick. I can only drive an automatic.
- 2
A semi-automatic pistol.
The G-men raiding the speakeasy were equipped with .45 automatics, while the local policemen were carrying revolvers and shotguns.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate automatic?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of automatic: auto, auto..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Automatic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | automatique , semi-automatique |
| German | automatisch , Maschinen- |
| Portuguese | automático , semiautomática |
| Spanish | automático , semi-automática |
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.