Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

split s

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.62 in modern English

Syllables
split s
IPA
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An aerobatic maneuver in which an aircraft, starting from upright level flight, rolls inverted and then performs one-half of an inside loop, ending up in upright level flight in the opposite direction at a lower altitude; equivalent to an Immelmann turn (modern sense) performed in reverse.

Etymology

Named for the resemblance of the aircraft's flightpath to the upper or lower half of the letter S (an aircraft performing two split Ses in sequence, with the first split S leading immediately into the second, would trace out a flightpath in the shape of a vertical S).

Inflected Forms

split Ses (plural) split-S (alternative)

Questions

What does split s mean?
An aerobatic maneuver in which an aircraft, starting from upright level flight, rolls inverted and then performs one-half of an inside loop, ending up in upright level flight in the opposite direction at a lower altitude; equivalent to an Immelmann turn (modern sense) performed in reverse.
Where does split s come from?
Named for the resemblance of the aircraft's flightpath to the upper or lower half of the letter S (an aircraft performing two split Ses in sequence, with the first split S leading immediately into the second, would trace out a flightpath in the shape of a vertical S).

How to pronounce split s

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