intercalary
/ˌɪnt.ɚˈkæl.ɚ.i/adjective, noun
intercalary is spelled I-N-T-E-R-C-A-L-A-R-Y: 11 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 131,834th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, intercalary means “Describing a time period inserted between others; leap, (as in leap day, leap month, or leap year)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in intercalary?
| Letters | 11: I-N-T-E-R-C-A-L-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 131,834th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 intercalary?
Intercalary appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 131,834th 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 intercalary?
- US /ˌɪnt.ɚˈkæl.ɚ.i/
- US /ɪnˈtɝː.kə.lɛɹ.i/
Intercalary has 5 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-intercalary.ogg, En-us-intercalary-2.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with intercalary?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as intercalary from its last stressed vowel (/æləɹi/):
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 intercalary
- intercalaries plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does intercalary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Describing a time period inserted between others; leap, (as in leap day, leap month, or leap year)
- 2
Inserted between other things
- 3
of a meristem: situated between zones of permanent tissue, thus a shoot growing at the base of a leaf, in comparison with apical growth at the tip of a root or plant.
- 4
of a wing vein: between the major veins common to insect wings.
noun
- 1
Such a time period
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Intercalary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of a time period, inserted between others:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | intercalaire |
| German | compound with Schalt- |
| Spanish | intercalado, intercalar |
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 intercalary come from?
From Latin intercalārius, from intercalāris, from intercalō, from inter (“among”) + calō (“call out, proclaim”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).