Meaning & use
la
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Meanings
interjectionold-fashioned
An exclamation of surprise, interest, or mild protest, now mostly heard in old books or on stage.
Grammar: Used alone or at the start of a sentence; no object or following clause is required.
Patterns
- la!
- oh la!
La! I never expected to see you here.
Oh la! What a fuss about a little rain.
La, how you startled me!
nouncountable or uncountablemusic
The sixth note of a major scale, or the syllable used to sing that note.
Grammar: Countable when referring to a specific note (a la), uncountable when naming the syllable itself (sing la).
Patterns
- sing la
- the note la
The melody goes do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do.
She held the la for two full beats.
In solfège, la is the sixth degree of the scale.
Word forms
| plural | las |
|---|
Common combinations
- la la
- She hummed la la while washing the dishes.
- oh la
- Oh la, that's a fancy hat!
- la-di-da
- His la-di-da accent made everyone smile.
- sing la
- The choir sang la to warm up their voices.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: la or lah?
la vs lah
In some musical traditions, 'lah' is the same note, but 'la' is the standard English spelling.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'la' correctly as a musical note?
Choose one answer.
'La' as a noun can be the object of 'played': He played la. The other options use 'la' as a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “la”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.