laic
/ˈleɪ.ɪk/noun, adjective
laic is spelled L-A-I-C: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 68 million words in written English, the 258,950th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, laic means “A layperson as opposed to a cleric, i.e. not a member of the clergy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of laic is laics.
How many letters and syllables are in laic?
| Letters | 4: L-A-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 68 million words; the 258,950th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is laic?
Laic appears about once in every 68 million words in written English, the 258,950th 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 laic?
- US /ˈleɪ.ɪk/
Laic has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-laic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with laic?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as laic from its last stressed vowel (/eɪɪk/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cail.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of laic
- laics plural
- more laic comparative
- most laic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does laic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A layperson as opposed to a cleric, i.e. not a member of the clergy.
Laic and laicist derive from the same root. Why did their meanings diverge? What meaning do they share? Both apply to people who believe that the well-being of societies requires that religious doctrines and churches do not interfere with t
adjective
- 1
Lay, relating to laypersons, as opposed to clerical.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does laic come from?
From French laïque, from Latin lāicus (“common people”), from Ancient Greek λαός (laós). Doublet of lay.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).