Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

laity

/ˈleɪ.ə.ti/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.76 in modern English

Syllables
laity
IPA
/ˈleɪ.ə.ti/
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

People of a church who are not ordained clergy or clerics.

noun

The common man or woman.

noun

The unlearned, untrained or ignorant.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman laite, from Latin laitas, from Ancient Greek λαός (laós, “people”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: laitas, λαός

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈleɪ.ə.ti/
  • British English: /ˈleɪ.ə.ti/

Inflected Forms

laities (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

lay layman

Synonyms

congregation flock fold laity temporalty

Antonyms

clergy

Rhymes With

gaiety indigeneity

Questions

How do you pronounce laity?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈleɪ.ə.ti/.
What does laity mean?
People of a church who are not ordained clergy or clerics.
Where does laity come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce laity

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “laity”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈleɪ.ə.ti/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “laity”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “laity” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.