robot
ro·bot/ˈɹoʊ.bɑt/noun
robot is spelled R-O-B-O-T: 5 letters and 2 syllables (ro·bot). It appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,752nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, robot means “A system of serfdom used in Central Europe, under which a tenant's rent was paid in forced labour” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of robot is robots.
How many letters and syllables are in robot?
| Letters | 5: R-O-B-O-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ro·bot |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,752nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is robot?
Robot appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,752nd 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 robot?
- UK /ˈɹəʊ.bɒt/
- UK /ˈɹəʊ.bət/
- US /ˈɹoʊ.bɑt/
Robot has 2 syllables, split ro·bot in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-robot.wav, En-us-robot.ogg, En-au-robot.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of robot
- robots plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does robot mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A system of serfdom used in Central Europe, under which a tenant's rent was paid in forced labour.
- 2
An intelligent mechanical being designed to look like a human or other creature, and usually made from metal.
- 3
A machine built to carry out some complex task or group of tasks by physically moving, especially one which can be programmed.
We have a robot in the house that does the vacuuming.
- 4
A bot, software designed to perform a task.
- 5
A person who does not seem to have any emotions or individuality.
- 6
A traffic light (from earlier robot policeman).
- 7
A theodolite which follows the movements of a prism and can be used by a one-man crew.
- 8
A style of dance popular in disco in which the dancer imitates the stiff movements of a stereotypical android robot.
- 9
A habitual poster on the /r9k/ board on 4chan; a member of the /r9k/ community.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Robot in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense intelligent mechanical being:
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 robot come from?
From German Robot, from a West Slavic language, ultimately related to Etymology 2, below.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).