Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

balalaiki

/baləˈlaɪki/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: bal-alai-ki
IPA: /baləˈlaɪki/

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

plural of balalaika

Example Sentences

"Suddenly the signal is given, and the orchestra begins to play. This orchestra deserves a special mention. It consisted of eight musicians: two violins, one of which was the property of a convict, while the other had been borrowed from outside; three balalaiki, made by the convicts themselves; two guitars, and a tambourine. The violins sighed and shrieked, and the guitars were worthless, but the balalaiki were remarkably good; and the agile fingering of the artists would have done honour to the cleverest executant."

Etymology

From the Russian балала́йки (balalájki), the nominative plural form of балала́йка (balalájka).

Origin

Source language: Russian

Word Breakdown

Root: балала́йки

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /bæləˈlaɪkɪ/

Questions

How do you pronounce balalaiki?: The recorded pronunciation is /baləˈlaɪki/.
What does balalaiki mean?: plural of balalaika
Where does balalaiki come from?: It is traced to Russian.

How to pronounce balalaiki

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “balalaiki”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/baləˈlaɪki/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “balalaiki”.
Repeat and practice — Say “balalaiki” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.