operator
/ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/
"operator" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“operator” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,178 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #4,178
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc.
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 | operator |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #4,178 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “operator” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for operator is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,178 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for operator, with forms such as "oeprator", "opeartor", and "operaotr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "orator", "operators", "operate", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin operātor, from operor (“work, labour”). Equivalent to operate + -or. The correct English form is operator, spelled O-P-E-R-A-T-O-R.
Definition
- 1A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc.
- 2A telecommunications facilitator whose job is to connect or otherwise assist callers.
- 3A member of a military special operations unit.
- 4The game of Chinese whispers.
- 5A person who is adept at making deals or getting results, especially one who uses questionable methods.
- 6A function or other mapping that carries values defined on a domain into another value or set of values in a defined range.
- 7The administrator of a channel or network on IRC.
- 8A symbol that represents a construct in a programming language and differs from a normal function in its syntax.
- 9A kind of expression that enters into an a-bar movement dependency and is said to bind a variable.
- 10A bus driver.
- 11The company that operates a mine; often the same one that owns the mine.
- 12A thief or charlatan.
- 13A major criminal.
- 14Someone who is successful at pursuing women; a player.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin operātor, from operor (“work, labour”). Equivalent to operate + -or.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: oeprator,opeartor,operaotr,operatorr,operatro,operattor,operrator,opertaor,opperator,opreator,poerator
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of operator - 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.
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
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Using “operator”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-P-E-R-A-T-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “orator” - see the side-by-side comparison. operator vs orator
- 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.