la-la

adj

"la-la" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“la-la” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of indifferent quality; so-so.

Corpus desk

Index EN-la-la · la-la · English

la-la · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for la-la
PropertyValue
Headwordla-la
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “la-la” in English

la-laranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

la-la is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of indifferent quality; so-so.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for la-la, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is la-la, spelled L-A---L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of indifferent quality; so-so.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how la-la appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Parker's play is only la-la; he is a low fellow, and as clownish in his manners as he is in his dress.

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.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "la-la"?
"la-la" is spelled L-A---L-A.
What does "la-la" mean?
As an adjective, "la-la" means: Of indifferent quality; so-so.
What is the origin of the word "la-la"?
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. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list