# dally vs delay

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### dally
*verb · IPA /ˈdæli/ · frequency rank #37,876*
To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.

### delay
*noun · IPA /dɪˈleɪ/ · frequency rank #3,618*
A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dally-vs-delay