procrastinate

Name: procrastinate, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt/

//pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“procrastinate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #41,321 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#41,321
frequency rank, English: 13
letters: 20
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To delay taking action; to wait until later.

Key facts for procrastinate
Property	Value
Headword	procrastinate
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt/
Letters	13
Frequency rank	#41,321
Misspellings tracked	20
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “procrastinate” sits in English frequency

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

#41,321

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for procrastinate is 13 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #41,321 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 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for procrastinate, with forms such as "porcrastinate", "pprocrastinate", and "prcorastinate". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1548; from Latin prōcrastinātus, perfect passive participle of prōcrastinō (“defer, put off till tomorrow”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from prō- (“in favor of”) + crāstinus (“of or belonging to tomorrow”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix),… The correct English form is procrastinate, spelled P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-E.

Definition

1
To delay taking action; to wait until later.
2
To put off; to delay (something).

Etymology

First attested in 1548; from Latin prōcrastinātus, perfect passive participle of prōcrastinō (“defer, put off till tomorrow”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from prō- (“in favor of”) + crāstinus (“of or belonging to tomorrow”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), from crās (“tomorrow”).

Synonyms

procrastinedelay penelopize stall delay postpone put off stall adjourn avert defer dilly-dally draw out extend forslow forestall forestay kick into the long grass kick the can down the road procrastinate prolong prorogueprorogateprotractput on holdput on iceretard roll back stay suspend tarry

Antonyms

precrastinate advance antedate bring forward expedite hasten jump on prepone rush shoot first and ask questions later speed up take action

This word in other languages

procrastinar(Español)procrastiner(Français)aufschieben(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porcrastinate,pprocrastinate,prcorastinate,procarstinate,proccrastinate,procrasitnate,procrasstinate,procrastiante,procrastinaet,procrastinatte,procrastinnate,procrastintae,procrastniate,procrasttinate,procratsinate,procrrastinate,procrsatinate,prorcastinate,prrocrastinate,rpocrastinate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of procrastinate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "procrastinate"

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 "procrastinate"?

"procrastinate" is spelled P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt/.

What does "procrastinate" mean?

As a verb, "procrastinate" means: To delay taking action; to wait until later.

What are common misspellings of "procrastinate"?

Common misspellings include "porcrastinate", "pprocrastinate", "prcorastinate", "procarstinate", "proccrastinate". The correct spelling is "procrastinate".

How do you pronounce "procrastinate"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "procrastinate" is /pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt/. 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 "procrastinate"?

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.

Using “procrastinate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt/ (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.