Latency refers to the delay between a cause and its effect, or the time lag before a system responds. It is commonly used in computing and telecommunications to describe the time required for data to travel from source to destination. In neuroscience, latency denotes the interval between a stimulus and the corresponding reaction. High latency implies slower performance or response times.
US: rhotic air; vowels are clear with a potential darker /ɒ/ in some dialects depending on stress, but latency typically uses /eɪ/ for /eɪ/. UK: non-rhotic; listen for the clear /s/ ending and a lighter middle syllable. AU: similar to UK but with more vowel reduction and faster tempo; watch for the middle syllable to be brief but not reduced to nothing. IPA references: US /ˈleɪ.tən.si/, UK /ˈleɪ.tən.si/, AU /ˈleɪ.tən.si/. Accent tips: exaggerate early /ˈleɪ/ a touch in practice to anchor the stress before relaxing the middle; mouth position: lips rounded for /eɪ/ then neutral for /ən/ and a light /si/ at the end.
"The network’s latency increased during peak hours, causing noticeable lag in online games."
"Researchers measured the neural latency to determine how quickly the brain processes visual stimuli."
"Audio engineers must minimize latency to ensure real-time monitoring during recording sessions."
"The latency of the sensor’s readings meant the system often acted on outdated information."
Latency derives from the Late Latin latency, from latēns (present participle of lātēre, to lie hid, to be hidden). The root lat- relates to being hidden or lying in wait; the suffix -cy denotes a state or condition. In English, latency entered scientific and technical vocabularies in the 19th and 20th centuries, expanding from general “delay” to specific implications in fields like telecommunication, acoustics, medicine, and neuroscience. The term often co-occurs with “latency period” and “latency period” in clinical contexts. The concept of delay has cultural and technological significance as systems grew more complex and the speed of data transmission became a defining performance metric. First known uses appear in engineering and psychology literature around the late 1800s to early 1900s, with latency gaining prominence in computer science mid-20th century as networks and processors introduced measurable delays to user experience. In modern usage, latency is a precise descriptor of time gaps, distinguishing it from general latency-related terms by emphasizing measurable, system-caused delays.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Latency" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Latency"
-ity sounds
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Latency is pronounced with three syllables: /ˈleɪ.tən.si/. Primary stress falls on the first syllable. The first syllable has the long A vowel as in 'lay', the middle syllable uses a schwa or a reduced /ə/ sound, and the final syllable ends with an /si/ sound. Keep the final /s/ crisp and the body of the word light and quick—think ‘LAY-tun-see’ with a short, soft middle syllable. For reference, you can listen to native speakers on Pronounce or Forvo and compare to Cambridge/Oxford audio.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress, saying ‘la- TEN-see’ with the stress on the second syllable. 2) Lengthening the middle vowel into a full /e/ or /i/ rather than a short /ə/ or /ɪ/. 3) Slurring the final /ti/ into /si/ or mispronouncing /t/ as a flap. Correction tips: emphasize the first syllable with a crisp /ˈleɪ/; relax the middle to a neutral /ən/ or /ə/; end with a clear /si/ rather than /zi/. Practice with slow tempo and listener feedback or a mirror to ensure mouth positions align with IPA.
US: /ˈleɪ.tən.si/ with stronger rhoticity, the /ə/ in the middle is a schwa-like vowel, final /si/ remains. UK: /ˈleɪ.tən.si/ or /ˈleɪ.tən.si/ with a slightly less pronounced r-less quality; middle vowel may be more centralized. AU: /ˈleɪ.tən.si/ similar to UK but with more clipped vowels and faster rhythm; speakers may reduce the middle syllable slightly more, yet maintain the /s/ at the end. Across all, the primary stress stays on the first syllable; the middle is reduced, the final is clear.
The difficulty lies in the mid syllable reduction and keeping the sequence /ˈleɪ/ + /-tən-/ + /si/ clear in rapid speech. English often reduces unstressed vowels to a schwa notch, but for technical usage you want precise articulations: /ˈleɪ/ on the first syllable, a short central vowel for the second, and a crisp /s/ + /i/ ending. Non-native speakers frequently mis-syllabify or mis-harmonize the /t/ and /n/ cluster, or overpronounce the middle syllable. Focus on timing and mouth posture to maintain accuracy.
No silent letters in latency. It has three pronounced syllables: leɪ-tən-si. The middle syllable uses a reduced vowel, typically a schwa or near-schwa, but both the /t/ and /n/ are pronounced as separate consonants; you should articulate the /t/ clearly before the /n/. The final /si/ should be a clear syllable with an audible /s/ before the /i/ vowel.
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