What happens on leap day?

Most of the time, February has 28 days. But every four years it gets a bonus day — February 29th. Let's look at how we talk about this date in English.

Understanding leap years

A leap year happens when we add an extra day to February, making it 29 days instead of the usual 28. We call it a "leap" year because we're essentially leaping (or jumping) over one day to keep our calendar in sync with the Earth's journey around the Sun.

For example:

"The next leap year will be in 2024."

"We need leap years to keep our calendar accurate."

"Some say getting married in a leap year brings bad luck."

Since our planet actually takes about 365¼ days to orbit the Sun — not exactly 365 — we need this extra day every four years to keep our calendar matched with the seasons. This special day, February 29th, is known as "leap day" and only comes around every four years.

For instance:

"Since this year has a leap day, February feels a little longer."

"On leap day, some stores offer special discounts."

"I always forget leap day exists until I see February 29 on the calendar."

What about people born on leap day?

People born on February 29th have a unique name in English — they're called "leaplings." While they technically only get a birthday every four years, most leaplings celebrate on either February 28th or March 1st in non-leap years. There are only about 5 million leaplings in the world, making it quite rare to be born on this day.

Here are some example sentences:

"Being a leapling makes for a great conversation starter."

"Leaplings technically only get a birthday every four years."

"Being a leapling means having a unique birthday story to tell."

So next time February 29th appears on your calendar, you'll know what to call this extra day — and the unique group of people who celebrate their birthdays on it.

Want to learn more about how we talk about special dates in English? Check out our Daily Dose of Denglisch Docs.