gulag
gu·lag/ˈɡuːlɑɡ/noun, verb
gulag is spelled G-U-L-A-G: 5 letters and 2 syllables (gu·lag). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gulag means “Also GULAG: the system of all Soviet labour camps and prisons in use, especially during the Stalinist period (1930s–1950s)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gulag is gulags.
How many letters and syllables are in gulag?
| Letters | 5: G-U-L-A-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: gu·lag |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,912th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is gulag?
Gulag appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce gulag?
- UK /ˈɡuːlɑɡ/
- UK /-læɡ/
- UK /ɡuːˈlɑk/
Gulag has 2 syllables, split gu·lag in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-gulag.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of gulag
- gulags plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- gulaging participle, present
- gulagging participle, present
- gulaged participle, past
- gulagged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gulag mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Also GULAG: the system of all Soviet labour camps and prisons in use, especially during the Stalinist period (1930s–1950s).
- 2
A prison camp, especially one used to hold political prisoners.
- 3
A place where, or political system in which, people with dissident views are routinely oppressed.
verb
- 1
informalTo compel (someone) into a forced labour camp or a similar place of confinement or exile.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of gulag.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of gulag.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gulag in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does gulag come from?
Borrowed from Russian ГУЛА́Г (GULÁG), the acronym of Гла́вное управле́ние исправи́тельно-трудовы́х лагере́й (Glávnoje upravlénije ispravítelʹno-trudovýx lageréj, “Chief Administration of Corrective-Labor Camps”), the government agency in charge of the Soviet Union’s network of forced labour camps, which was established in 1918 and formally abolished in 1960: see GULAG.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).