generator
/ˈdʒɛnəɹeɪtə(ɹ)/noun
generator is spelled G-E-N-E-R-A-T-O-R: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 8.7 times per million words in written English, the 7,797th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, generator means “An apparatus in which vapour or gas is formed from a liquid or solid by means of heat or chemical process, as a steam boiler, gas retort etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of generator is generators.
How many letters and syllables are in generator?
| Letters | 9: G-E-N-E-R-A-T-O-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 8.7 times per million words; the 7,797th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is generator?
Generator appears 8.7 times per million words in written English, the 7,797th 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 generator?
- /ˈdʒɛnəɹeɪtə(ɹ)/
Generator has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-generator.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of generator
- generators plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does generator mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An apparatus in which vapour or gas is formed from a liquid or solid by means of heat or chemical process, as a steam boiler, gas retort etc.
- 2
The principal sound or sounds by which others are produced; the fundamental note or root of the common chord; -- see also generating tone.
- 3
An interval that is repeatedly stacked to obtain other pitches in tuning systems or scales.
- 4
An element of a group that is used in the presentation of the group: one of the elements from which the others can be inferred with the given relators.
- 5
One of the lines of a ruled surface; more generally, an element of some family of linear spaces.
- 6
A subordinate piece of code which, given some initial parameters, will generate multiple output values on request.
- 7
A piece of apparatus, equipment, etc, to convert or change energy from one form to another.
- 8
Especially, a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Generator in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense apparatus: electrical generator:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | générateur, générateur électrique |
| German | Generator |
| Portuguese | gerador |
| Spanish | generador, generador eléctrico |
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 generator come from?
From Latin, from past participle of genero (“beget, father”), equivalent to generate + -or.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).