factotum
/fækˈtoʊ.təm/noun
factotum is spelled F-A-C-T-O-T-U-M: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 111,684th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, factotum means “A person employed to perform all sorts of duties” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of factotum is factotums; Wiktionary also lists factota (nonstandard).
How many letters and syllables are in factotum?
| Letters | 8: F-A-C-T-O-T-U-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 14 million words; the 111,684th 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 factotum?
Factotum appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 111,684th 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 factotum?
- UK /fækˈtəʊ.təm/
- US /fækˈtoʊ.təm/
Factotum has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-factotum.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with factotum?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as factotum from its last stressed vowel (/oʊtəm/):
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 factotum
- factotums plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does factotum mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person employed to perform all sorts of duties.
- 2
A jack of all trades.
- 3
A large decorative printing block with a central space into which any letter can be inserted, used to mark the beginning of a chapter of a book in early printing.
- 4
datedA person having many diverse activities or responsibilities.
- 5
datedA general servant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Factotum in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | factotum |
| German | Faktotum , Alleskönner, Mädchen für alles |
| Portuguese | factótum, faz tudo, factoto , faz-tudo |
| Spanish | todero , muchacho de los mandados, hombre orquesta |
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 factotum come from?
Ellipsis of domine fac totum, dominus fac totum /dominus factotum (“absolute ruler; head servant”), from Medieval Latin domine fac tōtum (“O Lord, do everything”), also with substition of nominative dominus for vocative domine.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).