Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lagom

/ˈlɑː.ɡəm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.33 in modern English

Syllables: lagom
IPA: /ˈlɑː.ɡəm/

8

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The philosophy or ethos of trying to achieve balance in one's life.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Lagom seems to be fighting a losing battle against a world run by the instant gratification of social media, where we all want to be seen and be heard."
"The typical Scandinavian home is the very essence of lagom. It's neither too sparse nor too fussy, neither overly minimalist nor overdone."
"Not surprisingly, lagom extends to our cuisine as well – the Swedes take great pride in eating healthily, drawing on their own cooking traditions and the seasons' offerings."

Etymology

Borrowed from Swedish lagom (“just right”).

Origin

Source language: Swedish

Word Breakdown

Root: lagom

Usage

Uncountable

Frequently Paired Words

hygge

Questions

How do you pronounce lagom?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlɑː.ɡəm/.
What does lagom mean?: The philosophy or ethos of trying to achieve balance in one's life.
Where does lagom come from?: It is traced to Swedish.

How to pronounce lagom

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