Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

leap second

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.93 in modern English

Syllables
leap sec-ond
IPA
15
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time.

Etymology

1971; derived from the terminology for leap day/leap year.

Inflected Forms

leap seconds (plural)

Phrases

leap year

Frequently Paired Words

leap leap year second

Questions

What does leap second mean?
A second of time added to the year occasionally to compensate for variation in the rate of Earth's rotation relative to the absolute standards of time.
Where does leap second come from?
1971; derived from the terminology for leap day/leap year.

How to pronounce leap second

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “leap second”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “leap second”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “leap second” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.