modulator

Name: modulator, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“modulator” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,345. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,345
frequency rank, English: 4,057
“M” headwords: 13
tracked misspellings: 4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who modulates.

Corpus desk

Index EN-modulator · modulator · English

modulator · rank #40,345 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

FREQ-MID #40,345
LEN-LONG 9 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
VAR-HIGH 13 variants
BOOK-MID 4,057
PHOTO-FINISH molest

Nearest frequency peer: molest (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

misnomer

59,660
mobilisation

59,658
modulator

59,656
molest

59,655
monetization

59,654
mountaintop

59,652

What this shows “modulator” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

modulator vs modular

78% similar

modulator vs modulate

78% similar

modulator vs moderator

78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for modulator
Property	Value
Headword	modulator
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#40,345
Misspellings tracked	13
Confusable pairs	4
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “modulator”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).modulatorlands here:

#40,345

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “molest” (#40,346), “mobilisation” (#40,343), “monetization” (#40,347). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “modulator” is #40,345. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around modulator, anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,345 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for modulator, with forms such as "mdoulator", "mmodulator", and "moddulator". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "modular", "modulate", "moderator", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From modulate + -or. The correct English form is modulator, spelled M-O-D-U-L-A-T-O-R.

Definition

1
A person who modulates.
2
A device or thing that modulates.
3
A chart in the tonic sol-fa notation on which the modulations or changes from one scale to another are shown by the relative position of the notes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how modulator appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

[Poetry] is a most musicall Modulator of all Intelligibles by her inventive Variations, undulling their Grossenesse, and subliming it into more refined Acceptablenesse to our own, or others understandings.

Etymology

From modulate + -or.

This word in other languages

modulateur(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

mdoulator
mmodulator
moddulator
modluator
modualtor
modulaotr
modulatorr
modulatro
modulattor
modullator
modultaor
moudlator
omdulator

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of modulator - 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.

Edit distance from "modulator"

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 "modulator"?

"modulator" is spelled M-O-D-U-L-A-T-O-R.

What does "modulator" mean?

As a noun, "modulator" means: A person who modulates.

What words are commonly confused with "modulator"?

"modulator" is commonly confused with "modular", "modulate", "moderator". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

What is the origin of the word "modulator"?

From modulate + -or. See the full etymology section above for more details.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "modulator", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lookalike#40,327 loitering#40,326 obstinate#40,365 Laguardia#40,320

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

inwardly13 variants pretence13 variants hyacinth13 variants homicidal13 variants