rotary
/ˈɹoʊ.tə.ɹi/adjective, noun
rotary is spelled R-O-T-A-R-Y: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, rotary means “Capable of rotation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rotary?
| Letters | 6: R-O-T-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.1 times per million words; the 12,764th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is rotary?
Rotary appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th 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 rotary?
- UK /ˈɹəʊ.tə.ɹi/
- US /ˈɹoʊ.tə.ɹi/
Rotary has 3 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)-Vealhurl-rotary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rotary?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as rotary from its last stressed vowel (/oʊtəɹi/):
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 rotary
- rotaries plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rotary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Capable of rotation.
A rotary engine revolves the heads rather than having pistons go back and forth.
noun
- 1
A roundabout, traffic circle.
- 2
Any of the clubs making up the international Rotary International movement for community service.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rotary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense capable of rotation:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rotatif |
| German | rotierbar, rotierend |
| Spanish | rotatorio, rotativo, giratorio, girante, rotador |
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 rotary come from?
Attested mid 18th century, from Medieval Latin rotarius, from Latin rota (“wheel”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).