Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

magic number

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.70 in modern English

Syllables: mag-ic num-ber
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The number of neutrons or protons in nuclei which are required to fill the major quantum shells, and thus produce exceptionally stable nuclei: 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82 and 126.

noun

A metric used to determine a team's required performance to make the playoffs.

noun

A metric used to determine a team's required performance to make the playoffs.

noun

A number which is manually entered into source code, rather than defined somewhere as a named constant; especially one which is arbitrary or lacks explanation.

noun

A sentinel value which cannot occur in normal use, typically used as a placeholder (e.g. a fictitious date such as 2000-02-32).

noun

A hash code, such as those used by some webmail servers to keep track of sessions.

noun

A number or pattern in a binary file that identifies the filetype.

Example Sentences

"We replaced the magic number 31 with a constant called MAX_DAYS_IN_MONTH."
"These files have a "magic number" stored in a particular place near the beginning of the file that tells the UNIX operating system that the file is a binary executable, and which of several types thereof."

Inflected Forms

magic numbers (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

magic word

Questions

What does magic number mean?: The number of neutrons or protons in nuclei which are required to fill the major quantum shells, and thus produce exceptionally stable nuclei: 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82 and 126.

How to pronounce magic number

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “magic number”.
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