operator
op·er·ator/ˈɑpəˌɹeɪtɚ/noun
operator is spelled O-P-E-R-A-T-O-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables (op·er·ator). It appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,153rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, operator means “A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of operator is operators.
How many letters and syllables are in operator?
| Letters | 8: O-P-E-R-A-T-O-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: op·er·ator |
| In writing | 21 times per million words; the 4,153rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is operator?
Operator appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,153rd 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 operator?
- UK /ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/
- US /ˈɑpəˌɹeɪtɚ/
Operator has 3 syllables, split op·er·ator in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-operator.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with operator?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as operator (/ɑpəɹeɪtəɹ/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: aeroport.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of operator
- operators plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does operator mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc.
The drone crashed because of operator error.
- 2
A telecommunications facilitator whose job is to connect or otherwise assist callers.
To get an international line, you used to have to go through the operator.
- 3
A member of a military special operations unit.
- 4
A surgeon; one who performs medical operations.
- 5
The game of Chinese whispers.
- 6
informalA person who is adept at making deals or getting results, especially one who uses questionable methods.
- 7
A function or other mapping that carries values defined on a domain into another value or set of values in a defined range.
- 8
The administrator of a channel or network on IRC.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate operator?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of operator: op, opr..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Operator in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | opérateur , téléphoniste |
| German | Betreiber , Telefonist, Telefonistin, Vermittlung , Operator, Rechenzeichen |
| Portuguese | operador , telefonista |
| Spanish | operador |
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 operator come from?
Borrowed from Latin operātor, from operor (“work, labour”). Equivalent to operate + -or.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).