procrastinate

/pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt/

//pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt// verb

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

"procrastinate" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“procrastinate” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,321. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,321
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
20
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To delay taking action; to wait until later.

Corpus desk

Index EN-procrastinate · procrastinate · English

procrastinate · rank #41,321 · 20 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,321
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH primeval

Nearest frequency peer: primeval (-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 “procrastinate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “procrastinate” 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 procrastinate
PropertyValue
Headwordprocrastinate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt/
Letters13
Frequency rank#41,321
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “procrastinate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).procrastinatelands 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 “primeval” (#41,320), “promiscuity” (#41,322), “provisioning” (#41,323). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “procrastinate” is #41,321. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around procrastinate (IPA /pɹəʊˈkɹæs.tɪ.neɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #41,321 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He procrastinated until the last minute and had to stay up all night to finish.
  2. Hence It became manifest to the publishers of Webster, that some device must be resorted to, to induce apathy in the publick mind, and thereby procrastinate the inevitable crisis which they foresaw was approaching, the expulsion of his elementary works from our primary schools.

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

procrastinedelaypenelopizestalldelaypostponeput offstalladjournavertdeferdilly-dallydraw outextendforslowforestallforestaykick into the long grasskick the can down the roadprocrastinateprolongprorogueprorogateprotractput on holdput on iceretardroll backstaysuspendtarry

Antonyms

precrastinateadvanceantedatebring forwardexpeditehastenjump onpreponerushshoot first and ask questions laterspeed uptake 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.

porcrastinate2pprocrastinate1prcorastinate2procarstinate2proccrastinate1procrasitnate2procrasstinate1procrastiante2
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"?
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-formin... 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 "procrastinate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

postmodernism#41,315reciprocating#41,340unambiguously#41,445unenforceable#41,448

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (20 here; floor ≥5).

uninhabitable20 variantsHerefordshire20 variantsHollingsworth20 variantshomeownership20 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list