perpetrator
/ˈpɜː(ɹ).pɪˌtɹeɪt.ə(ɹ)/noun
perpetrator is spelled P-E-R-P-E-T-R-A-T-O-R: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, perpetrator means “One who perpetrates; especially, one who commits an offence or crime” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of perpetrator is perpetrators.
How many letters and syllables are in perpetrator?
| Letters | 11: P-E-R-P-E-T-R-A-T-O-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 19,077th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is perpetrator?
Perpetrator appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th 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 perpetrator?
- /ˈpɜː(ɹ).pɪˌtɹeɪt.ə(ɹ)/
Perpetrator has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-perpetrator.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of perpetrator
- perpetrators plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perpetrator mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One who perpetrates; especially, one who commits an offence or crime.
perpetrator of violence
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Perpetrator in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one who perpetrates:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | coupable |
| German | Täter, Täterin, Schuldiger, Schuldige |
| Portuguese | perpetrador |
| Spanish | perpetrador |
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 perpetrator come from?
From Latin perpetrātor. By surface analysis, perpetrate + -or.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).