pastime
/ˈpæs.taɪm/noun
pastime is spelled P-A-S-T-I-M-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pastime means “Something which amuses, and serves to make time pass agreeably” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pastime is pastimes.
How many letters and syllables are in pastime?
| Letters | 7: P-A-S-T-I-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,367th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 pastime?
Pastime appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th 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 pastime?
- US /ˈpæs.taɪm/
- UK /ˈpɑːs.taɪm/
Pastime has 2 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-pastime.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pastime?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as pastime (/æstaɪm/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: sitemap.
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 pastime
- pastimes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pastiming participle, present
- pastimed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pastime mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Something which amuses, and serves to make time pass agreeably.
Chatting is a pleasant pastime.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo sport; to amuse oneself.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pastime in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense that which amuses:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | passe-temps |
| German | Zeitvertreib |
| Portuguese | passatempo |
| Spanish | pasatiempo |
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 pastime come from?
From earlier passtime, pass-time, from Middle English passe tyme, passetyme, calque of Middle French passetemps.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).