Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

laika

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.21 in modern English

Syllables: lai-ka
IPA

9

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A type of hunting dog from Russia.

noun

Alternative letter-case form of laika.

name

A female dog who was sent into space by the Soviet Union on November 3, 1957, aboard Sputnik 2. She died in space.

Example Sentences

"Q—The Russians picked a laika to occupy the space capsule. Do you think a dachshund would have been a wiser choice?"
"Indeed, they have been hybridising for a very long time, as is evidenced by the laika, a wolf-like dog that even today accompanies various Siberian peoples."

Etymology

From Russian ла́йка (lájka, “laika”, literally “barker”).

Origin

Source language: Russian

Word Breakdown

Root: ла́йка

Inflected Forms

laikas (plural)

Phrases

Nenets Herding Laika Russo-European Laika

Questions

What does laika mean?: A type of hunting dog from Russia.
Where does laika come from?: It is traced to Russian.

How to pronounce laika

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “laika”.
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 “laika”.
Repeat and practice — Say “laika” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.