factor
fact·or/ˈfæk.təɹ/noun, verb
factor is spelled F-A-C-T-O-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (fact·or). It appears 47 times per million words in written English, the 2,153rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, factor means “An agent or representative; a reseller or distributor (sometimes with a private label); a consignee” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of factor is factors.
How many letters and syllables are in factor?
| Letters | 6: F-A-C-T-O-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: fact·or |
| In writing | 47 times per million words; the 2,153rd 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 factor?
Factor appears 47 times per million words in written English, the 2,153rd 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 factor?
- UK /ˈfæk.tə/
- UK [ˈfæk.tʰə]
- US /ˈfæk.təɹ/
Factor has 2 syllables, split fact·or in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-factor.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with factor?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as factor 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 factor
- factors plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- factoring participle, present
- factored participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does factor mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteA doer, maker; a person who does things for another person or organization.
The factor of the trading post bought the furs.
- 2
An agent or representative; a reseller or distributor (sometimes with a private label); a consignee.
- 3
A commission agent.
- 4
A person or business organization that provides money for another's new business venture; one who finances another's business.
- 5
A business organization that lends money on accounts receivable or buys and collects accounts receivable.
- 6
One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which contribute to produce a result.
The greatest factor in the decision was the need for public transportation.
- 7
Any of various objects multiplied together to form some whole.
3 is a factor of 12, as are 2, 4 and 6.
- 8
Influence; a phenomenon that affects the nature, the magnitude, and/or the timing of a consequence.
The launch temperature was a factor of the Challenger disaster.
verb
- 1
To find all the factors of (a number or other mathematical object) (the objects that divide it evenly).
- 2
To rewrite an expression as the product of its factors.
- 3
To be a product of other objects.
- 4
To sell a debt or debts to an agent (the factor) to collect.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Factor in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | agent , facteur , ressource , factoriser |
| German | Agent, Makler, Kommissionär , Faktor |
| Portuguese | fator, fazedor , factor , fatorar |
| Spanish | hacedor, agente , factor , factorizar |
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 factor come from?
Inherited from Middle English factour, from Middle French facteur, Anglo-Norman factour, and their etymon Latin factor (“a doer, maker, performer”), from factus (“done or made”), perfect passive participle of faciō (“do, make”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).