Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

la-la

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.75 in modern English

Syllables: la-la
IPA

4

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

2

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of indifferent quality; so-so.

verb

To sing or recite the syllable la repeatedly.

Intransitive verb

verb

To sing (a song) with la replacing the song lyrics.

Transitive verb

noun

Something unusually good; (occasionally) something unusually bad.

American usage; Slang

noun

A woman's genitals, especially the vagina; a sexually permissive woman.

Slang

noun

Alternative form of la la (“clams”).

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Parker's play is only la-la; he is a low fellow, and as clownish in his manners as he is in his dress."
""When the Saints Go Marchin' In," and "Jesus Loves Me," Arly in Spanish, me in English, as, in her orange robe in the wheelchair, her paralyzed arm belted with white Velcro into its fiberglass brace, Mom "la-la-ed" along."
"PETER immediately begins ‘La, la-ing’ ‘The Merry Widow’, pulls JOSEPHINE up into a dancing position and begins to waltz her clear of the screen then towards the french window"
"We all agreed he was wise, but we did want the worst way to see that girl. We were sure that she was a la-la from all Billy said."
"Thankfully, other BB starlets have gone on to find work that doesn't involve pushing their la-las together for one-handed mags."
"For a western woman’s entire life, from her first menstrual period to her death, her ‘la la’ is a moneymaking machine for the big businesses who want to cultivate her ‘lady garden’."

Etymology

Sounds used to form meaningless song refrains. Of imitative origin. Compare Old English lā, a common exclamation, Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”), German lallen (“to babble”). Compare also blah blah.

Word Breakdown

Root: 啦啦

Usage

Inflected Forms

la-la-s (present, singular) la-la-ing (participle, present) la-la-ed (participle, past) la-la-ed (past) la-las (plural)

Synonyms

lollapalooza vagina

Questions

What does la-la mean?: Of indifferent quality; so-so.
Where does la-la come from?: Sounds used to form meaningless song refrains. Of imitative origin. Compare Old English lā, a common exclamation, Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”), German lallen (“to babble”). Compare also blah blah.

How to pronounce la-la

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “la-la”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “la-la”.
Repeat and practice — Say “la-la” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.