English spellings/Catalogs/L

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	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z
Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list
Common misspellings

This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with L. To see a different letter navigate with the table above. The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z.

For a pronunciation key, click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title.^[e]

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L = él railway

labŏrious

lâbour BrE; AmE -or, cf. Lâbor Pàrty Australia, etc.

lâbourer BrE; AmE -or-

lábyrinth *lábrinth

lackadâisical

lácklustre adjective one word

lácquer *lácker

láddies boys

lâdies women

làger beer hard g, cf. soft g in làrger bigger

lâid egg, table, trap *lâyed

lâin down = lâne traffic

lãir hideout ≈ lâyer covering

lâissèz-fãire has a silent z: *lây-sây-fãir

lámb - silent b *lám

lambást or lambâste

lamént

lámentable or laméntable

lâne road = lâin lie = Lâne, Lâine persons

lánguorous -uorou-: -ərə-

Làos nation = lòuse bug

lápdog one word

lápse negative = láps lap

largésse or AmE largéss

làrva insect BrE = làva volcano

lâser -z-; rhymes with râzor

lasso *lassoô

Làs Vègas - BrE usually *Lós Vègas because in AmE Làs = Lós, or by analogy with Lós Ángeles, though some say Lás

lâter

làttè

látter

låud praise = BrE lŏrd master

låudanum

lāughter rhymes with āfter

laundrétte

laureate *lóriat

laurel *lórrel

làva volcano BrE = làrva insect

lávish cf. slâvish

låw legal = BrE lŏre folk: *lŏ, cf. lôw *ləù: Francophones beware

Lawrence Ló- or Laurence, w more common

låwyer *lŏyer

lây table, egg, snooker is a verb in its own right, past and past participle both lâid, but do not use lây instead of lîe down (past lây, past participle lâin)

lâybŷ

lâyer covering ≈ lãir hideout

lâys = lâze lazy

lâze lazy = lâys table

lâzy

lêa grass = lêe shelter = Lêe = Lêigh persons

lêach percolate = leêch worm, sail = Lêach = Leêch persons

lêad first, guide, newspaper = lêde newspaper - optional spelling to distinguish it from léad metal

léad metal = léd took, past of lêad, cf. réad, past of rêad

lêader lead = lìêder songs

lêak liquid = lêek vegetable

lêague *lêeg

lêan

léant lean = lént lend = Lént season

lêap

léapt

lëarn past: lëarned or lëarnt

lëarned as an attributive adjective gains a syllable: a *lëarníd mán

lêast less cf. lést in case

lêaves leave, leaf - plural of lêaf and -s form of the verb lêave

Lébanon -ənən; AmE -ón

léd guided = léad metal (Léd Zéppelin is so spelt as to avoid mispronunciation)

lêde introduction to an article, AmE journalistic jargon: alternative spelling, used only in this sense, of lêad, to avoid even momentary confusion with léad metal

lée shelter = Lêe = Lêigh = Lêa persons = lêa grass

lêes dregs cf. lêase contract, unvoiced s: minimal pair

leêch worm, sail = lêach percolate = Lêach = Leêch persons

Lêeds city = lêads lead

lêek vegetable = lêak liquid

lêer look = Lêar person

léft hand, leave

léftie politics = léfty hand = Léfty = Léftie nicknames for lefty

légacy

lêgal

législâtor

législatûre

Léicester city = Léster person; each forms a minimal pair with...

Léinster Ireland

léisure BrE *lézher; AmE lêisure *lêzher; BrE rhyming with méasure, pléasure and tréasure

leîtmotìf

lêmur animal BrE = Lìma Peru

Lénnox

léns *lénze, plural lénses

lént lend = Lént season = léant lean

Lêô

Léominster *Lémstər

Léonard *Lénnərd = Lénnard

léopard animal = Léppard person *lépərd, cf. Léonard, jéopardy, also silent o

lêotàrd *lêətàrd

léper *lépər, rhyming with pépper

Lerŏy or Lêroy, with many variant spellings. From Wikipedia's article on Leroy Anderson: 'His first name was pronounced the classical way, with the stress on the second syllable; "Luh-ROY" rather than the now prevalent pronunciation of that name, "LEE-roy".'

Lésley female = Léslie male

Lesotho *Lesûtû

léss more

léssen less = lésson school

lést in case cf. lêast less

lêthal

léts let = lét’s let us

léttuce *léttis

Levánt

lévee dam = lévy tax

lêver BrE; AmE léver

lêverage BrE; AmE léverage cf. béverage in both

Lêvi

Lévis cf. Lêavis

lévy tax = lévee dam

leŵd cf. feûd

Leŵis Scotland, person *Loôwis = Leŵes England

Lhàsa

liâison lì-

lîable three syllables

lîar false = lŷre music

lîbel two syllables

líberal

libertãrian

líberty

libìdo

Lìbra

lîbrary - first r and a may be silent

librãrian

Líbya

lîcence BrE or lîcense AmE; can be verb in BrE

lîcensêe *lîcencee

lîchen plant = lîken compare

lîe untrue (past and past participle: lîed), down (past lây, past participle lâin), cf. lŷing, present participle and gerund of both; and lây table, egg, snooker as a verb in its own right, past and past participle both lâid: the usual mistake is lây instead of lîe

Líechtensteîn

lìen *lêən

lìêder songs = lêader lead

lieû in = loô toilet = Loû person

lieuténant AmE loût-, BrE léft- or loût-

lîfestyle one word

lîfetime one word

lígament

lîght = lîte, humorous or commercial spelling thereof

lîghtning flash *lîtning ≈ lîghtening lighten

lîkable or lîkeable

lîkelihood

lîkely

lîke-mînded

Likùd

lîlac

Lilóngwè

líly-lívered

límb *lím, cf. clîmb up = clîme climate

lîme cf. Lŷme Rêgis

límô

limousìne *limmazêen

línchpín cf. lýnch

Líncoln *Língkən

Líndsay *Línzy = Líndsey Lincolnshire

línêage *línêíj, cf. lîne

lingerie BrE *lánzhery, AmE *lànjə-rèy

línk cf. lýnx

Línux

lîon animal = Lŷon person, cf. Lỳón France

líp-rêad

líquefy cf. líquid, líquidate

liqueûr chocolate *licûre

líquor whisky *líkker

Lísbon *Lízbən

líst column, sway = Líszt Franz

lísten *líssen

lístless *lístlíss

lîte - humorous or commercial spelling of lîght, unsuitable in other contexts

líterary

líturgy

líve verb

lîve adjective cf. lîfe noun

Líverpool

Liverpúdlian

lîvelihood

lîvely

líves verb

lîves life plural of lîfe

Líz

Ljubljàna´ *Lyùblyàna

llàma animal = làma Buddhism

Llanélli - Welsh names beginning with the voiceless alveolar fricative ɬ, written Ll-, are pronounced by many English speakers as if they began Thl-, so: *Thlanéthly - though this does not apply to the very common...

Llŏyd *Lŏyd

lôan lend = lône alone

lôath unwilling unvoiced th; its variant lôth is perhaps preferable, to avoid confusion with the following, which is sometimes used incorrectly in its place

lôathe hate voiced th, *lôadh

lôathsome voiced th, no middle 'e'

lóch Scottish ch, like Arabic 'kh', phonetic symbol χ, cf. lóck; Irish ones are lóugh, same pronunciation

lóckjaw one word

lôgo

Lôís

lóllipop

lólly

Lòndon

lône only = lôan money

longévity -njé-

lónger long hard g sounded separately

longëur bore g not sounded separately

Lóngfellow

loô toilet = Loû person = lieû in

loòkalike noun one word

loôse insecure *lûce, cf. lose lost = loôs loo *lûze: writing loôse for lose is perhaps the second most common mistake in English after ít’s for íts

loôser more loose *lûcer, cf. loser lose *lûzer

loôt spoils = lûte music

lŏre folk BrE = låw rule

lórry transport = Laurie person

lose lost *lûze = loôs toilets, cf. loôse insecure *lûce

loser lose *lûzer, cf. loôser more loose

loses lû-, cf. lósses

lóss

lôth disinclined variant of lôath, and arguably preferable, as it is further from lôathe hate

Loû person = loô toilet = lieû in

loûche -sh

Loûìs silent s = Loûìê, or (particularly in St. Loûís) = Leŵís

Louìse *Loô-wêez

Louisiána *Loû-êasy-Ánna, one n

Loûrdes France = lûred lure

lòve cf. lôathe

lôw cf. låw

lûcre *lûker

lúggage

lúllabŷ

lúmbar back = lúmber wood

lúscious *lúshous

lúsh

lûte music = loôt spoils

lúvvie, a satirical British word for an actor cf. lòve, lòvey-dòvey

Lúxemboürg

lychêe is a more common spelling than lî-, lît- and litchì

lŷing from lîe

lýmph

lýnch = Lýnch person, cf. línchpin

lýnx animal = línks link

Lỳón France cf. lîon animal

Lŷra constellation, cf. lìra currency

lŷre harp = lîar cheat

Lýttelton