dilatory

/ˈdɪləˌtɔɹi/adjective

dilatory is spelled D-I-L-A-T-O-R-Y: 8 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 115,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, dilatory means “Intentionally delaying (someone or something), intended to cause delay, gain time, or adjourn decision” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in dilatory?

Letters	8: D-I-L-A-T-O-R-Y
Syllables	4 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing	about once in every 15 million words; the 115,751st most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searched	none measured in search
Rhymes with	depilatory
Same letters	idolatry adroitly

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 dilatory?

Dilatory appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 115,751st most frequent word form in the list.

dilatory0.0010.010.11101001,00010,000

rarerper million words of written Englishmore common

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce dilatory?

UK /ˈdɪlət(ə)ɹi/
/daɪˈleɪt(ə)ɹi/
US /ˈdɪləˌtɔɹi/

Dilatory 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)-Vealhurl-dilatory.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-dilatory.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with dilatory?

One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as dilatory from its last stressed vowel (/ɪlətɔɹi/):

depilatory

Spelled with the same letters in another order: idolatry, adroitly.

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).

What does dilatory mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

1
Intentionally delaying (someone or something), intended to cause delay, gain time, or adjourn decision.
a dilatory strategy
2
Slow or tardy.
3
Relating to dilation; dilative.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Dilatory in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

Language	Words
French	dilatoire (intentionally delaying)
German	aufschiebend, dilatorisch, verspätet (intentionally delaying), langsam, zögernd (slow or tardy)

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 dilatory come from?

From Middle English dilatorie, from Old French dilatoire, from Latin dīlātōrius (“extending or putting off (time)”), from dīlātor, from differō. Not etymologically related to delay.