The word "slalom" is spelled with two l's and one m. It is pronounced /ˈslɑːləm/ according to the IPA phonetic transcription. The first syllable is stressed and the "a" sound is pronounced as in "father". The two l's are pronounced separately, making a sound similar to the word "lull". The final syllable is pronounced with a schwa sound, which is a weak, unstressed vowel. This word is commonly used in skiing, where it refers to a race course marked with gates through which skiers must pass.
Slalom is a noun that refers to a competitive alpine skiing or canoeing sports discipline involving a timed race through a series of gates or obstacles set up on a zigzag course. The word originated from the Norwegian word "slalåm," which means "slopes."
In skiing, slalom requires skiers to navigate between tightly spaced poles called gates while following a predetermined path down a slope. The gates are arranged in a specific pattern, and competitors must ski around them without missing any gates or straying from the designated course. Slalom courses are intentionally set up to challenge skiers' agility, quick reflexes, and technical skills. The skier who completes the course in the shortest time, while correctly passing through all the gates, is declared the winner.
Similarly, in canoeing, slalom competitions involve paddling through a set course on a river or whitewater rapids. Participants have to navigate their canoes or kayaks downstream while maneuvering through a series of gates suspended above the water. They must successfully pass through the gates in the correct order, without touching or missing any, all while striving to complete the course in the fastest time possible.
Overall, slalom is a demanding and exciting discipline in skiing and canoeing that tests athletes' agility, speed, precision, and ability to swiftly adapt to changing conditions as they navigate through a challenging course.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "slalom" originated from the Norwegian and Swedish word "slalåm", and it was first used in English in the late 19th century. Slalåm itself is a combination of the words "sla" meaning "slope" and "låm" meaning "track". The term was initially used to describe the way skiers maneuvered through the gates on the slopes, and it later became a distinct racing discipline. The word "slalom" is now commonly used to refer to any race or competition involving a winding and zigzag course, whether it is on snow, water, or even in motorsports.