translator
/ˈtɹænzleɪtɚ/
"translator" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“translator” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,812 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #11,812
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person or thing that translates meaning from one language into another, particularly
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 | translator |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈtɹænzleɪtɚ/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #11,812 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “translator” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for translator is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtɹænzleɪtɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,812 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for translator, with forms such as "rtanslator", "tarnslator", and "tranlsator". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "translate", "translated", "transistor", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Directly from Latin trānslātor and French translator, and also from Middle English translatour, from Old French translatour, translateur, etc., from Latin trānslātor, from trānslātus (“carried across”) + -or (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from trānsferō (“ca… The correct English form is translator, spelled T-R-A-N-S-L-A-T-O-R.
Definition
- 1A person or thing that translates meaning from one language into another, particularly
- 2A person or thing that translates meaning from one language into another, particularly
- 3A person or thing that translates meaning from one language into another, particularly
- 4A person or thing that translates meaning from one language into another, particularly
- 5A person or thing that translates meaning from one language into another, particularly
- 6A person or thing that translates meaning from one language into another, particularly
- 7Synonym of carrier, a person who transports something, now particularly (Roman Catholicism, rare) holy relics.
- 8Synonym of repairer, particularly of leather or cloth goods.
- 9A used and repaired shoe, boot, or other item of clothing.
- 10Synonym of repeater, a thing that automatically retransmits an incoming message along a telegraph line.
- 11A thing that converts energy from one form to another.
- 12The retinaculum of asclepiads.
Etymology
Directly from Latin trānslātor and French translator, and also from Middle English translatour, from Old French translatour, translateur, etc., from Latin trānslātor, from trānslātus (“carried across”) + -or (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from trānsferō (“carry across”), from trans (“across”) + ferō (“bear, carry”), q.v. Equivalent to translate + -or.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: rtanslator,tarnslator,tranlsator,trannslator,transaltor,translaotr,translatorr,translatro,translattor,transllator,transltaor,transslator,trasnlator,trnaslator,trranslator,ttranslator
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of translator - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
How do you spell "translator"?
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Using “translator”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-R-A-N-S-L-A-T-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈtɹænzleɪtɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “translate” - see the side-by-side comparison. translator vs translate
- 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.