Comparle

Finnish12 Oct 2026

löyly

LUR-lew[ˈløy̯ly]

Pronunciation: SchwaWolf · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

the wave of wet heat that comes off the stones when the water goes on

Closest in English: steam, vapour, vapor. None of them covers it.

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The story

The word goes back to a root meaning spirit or breath, which is a fair description of what comes off the stones. Finns argue about good and bad löyly the way the English argue about tea, and the country has roughly one sauna for every two people.

Watch the word

A real game of this word, in 23 seconds.

How it went in the game

Contains the answers. If you want to play the word yourself first, leave this closed.

  1. Which language is it from?Finnish
  2. When does it happen?The moment water hits the stones
  3. Where would you hear it?A lakeside cabin, ladle in hand
  4. What does it mean?The wet blast that rises off the stones

How it went

Round two, moment, was where most points went.