# hesitate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈhɛz.ɪ.teɪt/ · frequency rank #9,759

## Definitions
1. To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
2. To stammer; to falter in speaking.
3. To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin haesitātus, perfect passive participle of haesitō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), intensive of haereō (“to hesitate, stick fast; to hang or hold fast”). Displaced native Old English wandian. Compare French hésiter.

## Easily confused with
- **hesitated** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hesitate-vs-hesitated)
- **heritage** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heritage-vs-hesitate)
- **hesitant** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hesitant-vs-hesitate)

## Common misspellings (11)
`ehsitate`, `heistate`, `hesiatte`, `hesitaet`, `hesitatte`, `hesittae`, `hesittate`, `hessitate`, `hestiate`, `hhesitate`, `hseitate`

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