moratorium
/ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/
"moratorium" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“moratorium” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #26,172 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #26,172
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | moratorium |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #26,172 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “moratorium” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for moratorium is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/. Corpus data places it at rank #26,172 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
- 2A suspension of an ongoing activity.
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
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "moratorium" mean?
What are common misspellings of "moratorium"?
How do you pronounce "moratorium"?
What is the origin of the word "moratorium"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “moratorium”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-R-A-T-O-R-I-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.