moratorium

/ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/

//ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"moratorium" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“moratorium” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,172. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,172
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.

Corpus desk

Index EN-moratorium · moratorium · English

moratorium · rank #26,172 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,172
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Montague

Nearest frequency peer: Montague (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “moratorium”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “moratorium” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for moratorium
PropertyValue
Headwordmoratorium
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/
Letters10
Frequency rank#26,172
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “moratorium”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).moratoriumlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Montague” (#26,171), “momentary” (#26,170), “morgue” (#26,174). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “moratorium” is #26,172. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around moratorium (IPA /ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,172 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for moratorium, with forms such as "mmoratorium", "moartorium", and "moraotrium". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: New Latin from Late Latin morātōrium, noun use of the neuter of morātōrius (“moratory, delaying”), from Latin moror (“I delay”), from mora (“delay”), from Proto-Indo-European *mere (“to delay, hinder”). See also moratory. The correct English form is moratorium, spelled M-O-R-A-T-O-R-I-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
  2. 2
    A suspension of an ongoing activity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how moratorium appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Canada may put a moratorium on cloning for research.
  2. It so happened that at that time the moratorium on the death penalty caused by the Supreme Court decision in the Furman case was still in effect.

Etymology

New Latin from Late Latin morātōrium, noun use of the neuter of morātōrius (“moratory, delaying”), from Latin moror (“I delay”), from mora (“delay”), from Proto-Indo-European *mere (“to delay, hinder”). See also moratory.

Synonyms

hiatusinterruptionrecesspause

This word in other languages

moratoria(Español)moratoire(Français)Moratorium(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmoratorium
  • moartorium
  • moraotrium
  • moratoirum
  • moratorimu
  • moratoriumm
  • moratorrium
  • moratoruim
  • moratroium
  • morattorium
  • morratorium
  • mortaorium
  • mroatorium
  • omratorium

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of moratorium - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

mmoratorium1moartorium2moraotrium2moratoirum2moratorimu2moratoriumm1moratorrium1moratoruim2
Edit distance from "moratorium"

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 "moratorium"?
"moratorium" is spelled M-O-R-A-T-O-R-I-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/.
What does "moratorium" mean?
As a noun, "moratorium" means: An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
What are common misspellings of "moratorium"?
Common misspellings include "mmoratorium", "moartorium", "moraotrium", "moratoirum", "moratorimu". The correct spelling is "moratorium".
How do you pronounce "moratorium"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "moratorium" is /ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "moratorium"?
New Latin from Late Latin morātōrium, noun use of the neuter of morātōrius (“moratory, delaying”), from Latin moror (“I delay”), from mora (“delay”), from Proto-Indo-European *mere (“to delay, hinder”). See also moratory. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "moratorium", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Macedonian#26,152postmodern#26,205prudential#26,211rationally#26,220

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

momentary14 variantspondering14 variantsKimberley14 variantsRosenthal14 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list