By leaps and bounds means very quickly, in big jumps. The idiom describes noticeable growth or progress: in skills, in sales or in the size of a town. In British English you will also see in leaps and bounds; in an essay you can simply write rapidly.
When would you say by leaps and bounds?
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grow / improve / increase + by leaps and bounds; progress by leaps and bounds
- Your English has improved by leaps and bounds since you started speaking with colleagues every day.
- The town has grown by leaps and bounds since the new factory opened.
- Online orders at our bakery increased by leaps and bounds last year.
What changed
First versionHis Spanish is improving with seven-mile steps.
RevisionHis Spanish is improving by leaps and bounds.
English speakers don't say with seven-mile steps: it is a word-for-word translation of an idiom from another language. For fast progress, English has its own idiom, by leaps and bounds, and it takes the place of the translation.
Make progress simply means moving forward, at any speed: We made some progress this week. By leaps and bounds adds speed and scale: Her confidence has grown by leaps and bounds. If growth is slow but steady, say slowly but surely.
Your turn
After six months of daily practice, my typing speed has improved by leaps and ___.
Show the answer
bounds — The idiom only works as leaps and bounds; both words here mean jumps. Jumps is close in meaning, but you can't swap the words in a fixed expression.
Write about a skill of yours that improved quickly. Say what the skill is and what helped you make such progress.
My cooking has improved by leaps and bounds since I started trying one new recipe every weekend.
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