ðɪ ɛkspˈoʊnənt mˈʌst biː æt lˈiːst wˈʌn bˈɪt ɔːɹ ˈɛls ɪt nˌoʊ lˈɑːŋɡɚ mˌeɪks sˈɛns æz ɐ flˈoʊt ɪt wʊd dʒˈʌst biː ɐ sˈaɪnd nˈʌmbɚ.
The exponent must be at least 1 bit or else it no longer makes sense as a float (it would just be a signed number).