# laity

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈleɪ.ə.ti/ · frequency rank #38,936

## Definitions
1. People of a church who are not ordained clergy or clerics.
2. The common man or woman.
3. The unlearned, untrained or ignorant.

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

## Easily confused with
- **lay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lay)
- **lit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lit)
- **LAT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lat)
- **last** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-last)
- **late** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-late)
- **lazy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lazy)
- **lily** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lily)
- **lite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lite)
- **Livy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-livy)
- **Larry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-larry)
- **lasts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lasts)
- **lofty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lofty)
- **latte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-latte)
- **lefty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lefty)
- **Leith** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-leith)
- **lusty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lusty)
- **lanky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lanky)
- **Laney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-laney)
- **Lally** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lally)
- **lastly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laity-vs-lastly)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ality`, `laitty`, `laityy`, `laiyt`, `latiy`, `liaty`, `llaity`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/laity