Ever been late and stuck for what to say? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there! Being late can happen to anyone, and sometimes, we just need a good reason to explain why. Whether it’s missing the bus, a lost pet, or just losing track of time, there’s always an excuse that can come to the rescue.
In this blog post, we’re going to share 30 of the best excuses for being late that you might need one day. These excuses are simple to understand and can be a lifesaver when you find yourself in a pinch. So, let’s dive in and find the perfect excuse for your next tardy moment!
Best Excuses for Being Late
Here are the top 30 excuses for being late.
- Missed the Bus/Train: “I missed my bus/train and had to wait for the next one.”
- Traffic Jam: “There was a huge traffic jam that just wouldn’t budge!”
- Alarm Didn’t Go Off: “My alarm didn’t go off this morning for some reason.”
- Bad Weather: “The rain/snow was so heavy, it slowed everything down.”
- Lost Keys: “I couldn’t find my keys anywhere this morning!”
- Emergency at Home: “We had a little emergency at home I had to deal with.”
- Pet Problems: “My pet got sick/escaped, and I had to take care of it.”
- Car Trouble: “My car wouldn’t start, so I had to figure out what to do.”
- Helping Someone: “I stopped to help someone in need on my way here.”
- Feeling Unwell: “I wasn’t feeling well and moved slower than usual.”
- Power Outage: “We had a power outage, and it threw off my whole morning.”
- Public Transportation Delays: “The trains/buses were running behind schedule.”
- Unexpected Visitor: “An unexpected visitor showed up, and I couldn’t just leave.”
- Spilled Something on Outfit: “I spilled something on my outfit and had to change.”
- Lost Track of Time: “I was so focused on something; I didn’t notice the time.”
- Family Member Needed Help: “I had to help a family member with something important.”
- Misplaced Something Important: “I misplaced something important and had to search for it.”
- Got Locked Out: “I accidentally got locked out and had to wait to get back in.”
- Phone Died: “My phone died, and I lost track of time without it.”
- Construction/Detour: “There was unexpected construction, and I had to take a long detour.”
- Overslept: “I overslept and woke up much later than planned.”
- Appointment Ran Late: “A previous appointment ran much longer than expected.”
- Sudden Illness: “I suddenly felt really sick and had to take it slow.”
- Internet Issues: “I had important online work that took longer due to internet issues.”
- Waiting for a Delivery: “I was waiting for an important delivery that I couldn’t miss.”
- Confusion with Time/Date: “I mixed up the time/date and realized too late.”
- Clothing Issue: “I had a last-minute clothing malfunction I needed to fix.”
- Stuck in Elevator: “I was stuck in the elevator for a while.”
- Accident on Route: “There was an accident on my route that caused a huge delay.”
- Child-Related Delay: “My child needed extra attention/help this morning.”
A to Z Excuses for Being Late
Reason to Be Late Starting With A:
- Attacking Apples
- Apathy
- Alarm Clock
- Asthma Attack
- Arthritis
- Assemblage
- Aunt Died
- Ate Bad Food
- Alarm
- Asystole
- Accident
Reason to Be Late Starting With B:
- Bathroom
- Bad Traffic
- Bored
- Baby Sick
- Bus Late
- Basement Flooded
- Bus Accident
- Busy
- Bear Attack
- Bedridden
Reason to Be Late Starting With C:
- Coma
- Caught Cancer
- Car Accident
- Cold
- Child Sick
- Car Crash
- Crazy Traffic
- Car Problems
- Car Broke
- Chores
- Captured
- Cat Died
Reason to Be Late Starting With D:
- Death
- Doctor Appointment
- Distracted
- Dancing
- Doing Homework
- Delayed
- Dumb
- Dentist
- Dinner
Reason to Be Late Starting With E:
- Errands
- Emotions
- Extra Traffic
- Excercise
- Eating
- Epidemic
- Exhausted
- Exercising
- Ear Infection
- Eloped
- Eye Hurts
Reason to Be Late Starting With F:
- Falling Ove
- Forgot
- Friend Died
- Fell Asleep
- Fatigued
- Flunking
- Filthy
- Flat Tire
- Fever
- Felt Sick
Reason to Be Late Starting With G:
- Good Sleep
- Goofballs
- Gang Fight
- Gagging
- Ghouls
- Got Sick
- Got Lost
- Gardening
- Gas Leak
- Gambling
- Groceries
Reason to Be Late Starting With H:
- Hiccups
- Hernia
- Hate Work
- Hungry
- Held Up
- House Fire
- Headache
- Hospital Visit
- Hippies
- Headache
- Heart Attack
Reason to Be Late Starting With I:
- In Traffic
- Interview
- Influenza
- Illness
Reason to Be Late Starting With J:
- Jail
- Jittery
- Jail Visit
- Just Forgot
- Jammed
- Jousting
- Juiced
- Joking
- Jinxed
- Jogging
Reason to Be Late Starting With K:
- Killer Traffic
- Karate Class
- Knee Injury
- Knocked Ou
- Keys Lost
- Knife Fight
- Kids Sick
- Kidnapped
Reason to Be Late Starting With L:
- Late Bus
- Late Sleep
- Long Traffic
- Long Line
- Laziness
- Left Late
- Late Train
- Lunch
Reason to Be Late Starting With M:
- Migrane
- Maternal
- Money
- Making Bed
- Menophilia
- Missed Bus
- Makeup
- Mom Called
- Menopause
Reason to Be Late Starting With N:
- Nausea
- Nap
- No Water
- No Gas
- Not Ready
- Noise
- Not Caring
Reason to Be Late Starting With O:
- Out Sick
- Overslept
- Operation
- Over Slept
- Out Late
- Oil Spill
Reason to Be Late Starting With P:
- Pregnant
- Police
- Party
- Pain
- Prison
- Period Pain
- Plane Crash
Reason to Be Late Starting With Q:
- Quicksand
- Quiz
- Quit School
- Queer
- Questioning
- Quarentine
Reason to Be Late Starting With R:
- Resurrected
- Road Closure,
- Runs
- Ran Away
- Raining
- Red Lights
- Road Traffic
- Reading
- Roadwork
- Rabeys
Reason to Be Late Starting With S:
- Sick
- Snow
- Subway
- Stolen Car
- Slept in
- Stop Sign
- Slow Traffic
- Sleeping
- Snoozing
Reason to Be Late Starting With T:
- Tardy
- Time
- Truant
- Tooth Ache
- Trafico
- Tizzy
- Traffic Jam
- Tax Audit
- Tagged
- Tore Pants
- Tornado
- Traffic
- Train Wreck
Reason to Be Late Starting With U:
- Unmotivated
- Urinate
- Under Attack
- Unprepared
- Upset
Reason to Be Late Starting With V:
- Viagra
- Very Drunk
- Vanished
- Very Sleepy
- Valium
- Vertigo
- Voting
- Van Crash
Reason to Be Late Starting With W:
- Wedding
- Weather
- Working
- Wasted
- Walked
- Wrong Turn
Reason to Be Late Starting With Y:
- Yellow Fever
- Yeti Attack.
- Yard Work
- Yoga
Reason to Be Late Starting With Z:
- Zipper Stuck
- Zipper
- Zumba