motor

/ˈməʊtə/

//ˈməʊtə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"motor" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“motor” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,844. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,844
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A machine or device that converts other energy forms into mechanical energy, or imparts motion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-motor · motor · English

motor · rank #2,844 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,844
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH marine

Nearest frequency peer: marine (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “motor”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

motor vs mott
60% similar
motor vs motto
60% similar
motor vs mover
60% similar

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

Key facts for motor
PropertyValue
Headwordmotor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈməʊtə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,844
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “motor”

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).motorlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “marine” (#2,843), “officially” (#2,845), “Manchester” (#2,842). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “motor” is #2,844. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around motor (IPA /ˈməʊtə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,844 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for motor, with forms such as "mmotor", "mootr", and "motorr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mott", "motto", "mover", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English motour (“controller, prime mover; God”), from Latin mōtor (“mover; that which moves something”), from mōtō (“to set in motion”). The correct English form is motor, spelled M-O-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A machine or device that converts other energy forms into mechanical energy, or imparts motion.
  2. 2
    A motor car, or automobile, sometimes extended to other powered vehicles, such as goods vehicles.
  3. 3
    A source of power for something; an inspiration; a driving force.
  4. 4
    Any protein capable of converting chemical energy into mechanical work.
  5. 5
    The controller or prime mover of the universe; God.
  6. 6
    The fermenting mass of fruit that is the basis of pruno, or "prison wine".

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Motor insurance is expensive for youngsters.
  2. It was flood-tide along Fifth Avenue; motor, brougham, and victoria swept by on the glittering current; pretty women glanced out from limousine and tonneau; young men of his own type, silk-hatted, frock-coated, the crooks of their walking sticks tucked up under their left arms, passed on the Park side.

Etymology

From Middle English motour (“controller, prime mover; God”), from Latin mōtor (“mover; that which moves something”), from mōtō (“to set in motion”).

Synonyms

engine

This word in other languages

motor(Español)moteur(Français)Motor(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmotor
  • mootr
  • motorr
  • motro
  • mottor
  • mtoor
  • omtor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of motor - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

mmotor1mootr2motorr1motro2mottor1mtoor2omtor2
Edit distance from "motor"

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 "motor"?
"motor" is spelled M-O-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈməʊtə/.
What does "motor" mean?
As a noun, "motor" means: A machine or device that converts other energy forms into mechanical energy, or imparts motion.
What words are commonly confused with "motor"?
"motor" is commonly confused with "mott", "motto", "mover". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "motor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "motor" is /ˈməʊtə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "motor"?
From Middle English motour (“controller, prime mover; God”), from Latin mōtor (“mover; that which moves something”), from mōtō (“to set in motion”). 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 "motor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

drawn#2,829seats#2,860solar#2,862broad#2,820

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

marine7 variantshidden7 variantsbrief7 variantsdebut7 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list