laic
/ˈleɪ.ɪk/
"laic" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“laic” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 4
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A layperson as opposed to a cleric, i.e. not a member of the clergy.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | laic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈleɪ.ɪk/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “laic” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for laic is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈleɪ.ɪk/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A layperson as opposed to a cleric, i.e. not a member of the clergy.".
laic has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French laïque, from Latin lāicus (“common people”), from Ancient Greek λαός (laós). Doublet of lay. The correct English form is laic, spelled L-A-I-C.
Definition
- 1A layperson as opposed to a cleric, i.e. not a member of the clergy.
Etymology
From French laïque, from Latin lāicus (“common people”), from Ancient Greek λαός (laós). Doublet of lay.
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
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Using “laic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-A-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈleɪ.ɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.