leprechaun
/ˈlɛpɹəˌkɔn/noun
leprechaun is spelled L-E-P-R-E-C-H-A-U-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, leprechaun means “A type of diminutive, solitary fairy or sprite, traditionally depicted as a small, bearded man wearing a green coat and hat, often found repairing a…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of leprechaun is leprechauns.
How many letters and syllables are in leprechaun?
| Letters | 10: L-E-P-R-E-C-H-A-U-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is leprechaun?
Leprechaun appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th 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 leprechaun?
- UK /ˈlɛpɹəkɔːn/
- US /ˈlɛpɹəˌkɔn/
- US /ˈlɛpɹəˌkɑn/
Leprechaun has 3 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-leprechaun.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-leprechaun.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of leprechaun
- leprechauns plural
- lepracaun
- leprocaun
- lurikeen
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does leprechaun mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
IrelandA type of diminutive, solitary fairy or sprite, traditionally depicted as a small, bearded man wearing a green coat and hat, often found repairing a single shoe; they typically possess hidden treasure, such as a pot of gold hidden at the end of a rainbow, and can be forced to reveal its location if captured.
- 2
offensiveslangAn Irish person.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Leprechaun in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one of a race of Irish elves:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | leprechaun, lutin irlandais, farfadet irlandais, lépricone |
| German | Leprechaun |
| Portuguese | duende irlandês, leprechaun |
| Spanish | duende irlandés, leprechaun |
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 leprechaun come from?
From Irish leipreachán, luprachán, from Middle Irish luchrupán, from Old Irish luchorpán. See also Irish lucharachán. The word's further etymology is disputed; it is traditionally explained as a compound containing lú (“small”, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-) + corp (“body”, which is from Latin corpus). However, an alternative suggestion is that it is a derivative of Latin Lupercī (“priests of Lupercus”), who were misinterpreted as an antediluvian species by medieval Irish scholars. Suffix may have been assimilated to Irish -achán (“diminutive”), compare derivation of clurichaun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).