mainframe
/ˈmeɪnˌfɹeɪm/noun
mainframe is spelled M-A-I-N-F-R-A-M-E: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mainframe means “A large, powerful computer able to manage very many simultaneous tasks and communicate with very many connected terminals; used by large, complex…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mainframe is mainframes.
How many letters and syllables are in mainframe?
| Letters | 9: M-A-I-N-F-R-A-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th 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 mainframe?
Mainframe appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th 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 mainframe?
- US /ˈmeɪnˌfɹeɪm/
Mainframe has 2 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)-Wodencafe-mainframe.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with mainframe
Also written: main frame (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of mainframe
- mainframes plural
- main frame
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mainframe mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A large, powerful computer able to manage very many simultaneous tasks and communicate with very many connected terminals; used by large, complex organizations (such as banks and supermarkets) where continuously sustained operation is vital.
- 2
A computer chassis that hosts and interconnects modules that perform various tasks.
- 3
The main frame of a vehicle etc., more commonly main frame.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mainframe in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense large computer:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Großrechner |
| Portuguese | mainframe |
| Spanish | mainframe, unidad computadora central |
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 mainframe come from?
From main + frame.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).