# escalator

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɛs.kə.leɪ.tə/ · frequency rank #28,195

## Definitions
1. Anything that escalates.
2. A motor-driven mechanical device consisting of a continuous loop of steps that automatically conveys people from one floor to another.
3. An upward or progressive course.
4. An escalator clause.

## Etymology
From the former trademark Escalator, created by American inventor Charles Seeberger in 1900, from Latin e (“from, out of”) + scala (“ladder”) + -tor, which forms nouns of agency. See the appendix. Broader usage may be influenced by escalate, and is equivalent to escalate + -or. For an alternative etymology, see the Online Etymology Dictionary.

## Easily confused with
- **excavator** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/escalator-vs-excavator)
- **escalate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/escalate-vs-escalator)
- **escalation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/escalation-vs-escalator)

## Common misspellings (13)
`ecsalator`, `esaclator`, `escaaltor`, `escalaotr`, `escalatorr`, `escalatro`, `escalattor`, `escallator`, `escaltaor`, `esccalator`, `esclaator`, `esscalator`, `secalator`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/escalator