moratorium
mo·ra·to·ri·um/ˌmɔ.ɹəˈtɔ.ɹi.əm/noun
moratorium is spelled M-O-R-A-T-O-R-I-U-M: 10 letters and 5 syllables (mo·ra·to·ri·um). It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,092nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, moratorium means “An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of moratorium is moratoriums or moratoria.
How many letters and syllables are in moratorium?
| Letters | 10: M-O-R-A-T-O-R-I-U-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: mo·ra·to·ri·um |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,092nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 moratorium?
Moratorium appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,092nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce moratorium?
- UK /ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/
- UK /ˌmɔː.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/
- US /ˌmɔ.ɹəˈtɔ.ɹi.əm/
Moratorium has 5 syllables, split mo·ra·to·ri·um in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-moratorium.ogg, En-au-moratorium.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with moratorium?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as moratorium from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹiəm/):
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).
Forms of moratorium
- moratoriums plural
- moratoria plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does moratorium mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
- 2
A suspension of an ongoing activity.
Canada may put a moratorium on cloning for research.
- 3
A period of delay granted to someone, especially an adolescent or young adult, during which they are not yet required to take on adult obligations or make permanent commitments; an extended phase of identity exploration.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Moratorium in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense authorization permitting temporary suspension of payments:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | moratoire |
| German | Moratorium |
| Portuguese | moratória |
| Spanish | moratoria |
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 moratorium come from?
New Latin from Late Latin morātōrium, noun use of the neuter of morātōrius (“moratory, delaying”), from Latin moror (“to delay”), from mora (“delay”), from Proto-Indo-European *mere (“to delay, hinder”). See also moratory.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).