elapse
/ɪˈlæps/verb
elapse is spelled E-L-A-P-S-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 91,522nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, elapse means “To pass or move by” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in elapse?
| Letters | 6: E-L-A-P-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 91,522nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is elapse?
Elapse appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 91,522nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce elapse?
- US /ɪˈlæps/
Elapse has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-elapse.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-StuckInLagToad-elapse.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with elapse?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as elapse from its last stressed vowel (/æps/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: please, asleep, sapele.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of elapse
- elapses present, singular, he/she/it
- elapsing participle, present
- elapsed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does elapse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To pass or move by.
He allowed a month to elapse before beginning the work.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Elapse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense (of time) to pass or move by:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | se passer, s'écouler |
| German | vergehen, verrinnen |
| Portuguese | passar, transcorrer |
| Spanish | transcurrir, discurrir |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does elapse come from?
From Middle French elapser, from Latin elapsus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).