moderator
/ˈmɒdəˌɹeɪtə(ɹ)/
"moderator" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“moderator” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,973 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #16,973
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone who moderates.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | moderator |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmɒdəˌɹeɪtə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #16,973 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “moderator” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for moderator is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɒdəˌɹeɪtə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,973 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for moderator, with forms such as "mdoerator", "mmoderator", and "modderator". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "modulator", "moderate", "moderation", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin moderātor. First attested as Middle English moderatour. By surface analysis, moderate + -or. The correct English form is moderator, spelled M-O-D-E-R-A-T-O-R.
Definition
- 1Someone who moderates.
- 2Someone who moderates.
- 3Someone who moderates.
- 4Someone who moderates.
- 5The person who presides over a synod of a Presbyterian church.
- 6A substance (often water or graphite) used to decrease the speed of fast neutrons in a nuclear reactor and hence increase likelihood of fission.
- 7A device used to deaden some of the noise from a firearm, although not to the same extent as a suppressor or silencer.
- 8An examiner at Oxford and Cambridge universities.
- 9At the University of Dublin, either the first (senior) or second (junior) in rank in an examination for the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
- 10Someone who supervises and monitors the setting and marking of examinations by different people to ensure consistency of standards.
- 11A mechanical arrangement for regulating motion in a machine, or producing equality of effect.
- 12A kind of lamp in which the flow of the oil to the wick is regulated.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin moderātor. First attested as Middle English moderatour. By surface analysis, moderate + -or.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: mdoerator,mmoderator,modderator,modeartor,moderaotr,moderatorr,moderatro,moderattor,moderrator,modertaor,modreator,moedrator,omderator
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of moderator - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "moderator"?
What does "moderator" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "moderator"?
How do you pronounce "moderator"?
What is the origin of the word "moderator"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “moderator”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-D-E-R-A-T-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmɒdəˌɹeɪtə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “modulator” - see the side-by-side comparison. moderator vs modulator
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.