English spellings/Catalogs/L: Difference between revisions
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'''llàma''' ''animal'' = '''làma''' ''Buddhism'' | '''llàma''' ''animal'' = '''làma''' ''Buddhism'' | ||
'''Llanélli''' - Welsh names beginning with the [[voiceless alveolar fricative]] {{IPA|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... | '''Llanélli''' - Welsh names beginning with the [[voiceless alveolar fricative]], [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] [{{IPA|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 | '''Llŏyd''' *Lŏyd |
Revision as of 11:40, 4 October 2011
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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 | |
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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]
L = él railway
lâbel rhymes with tâble
labŏrious
lâbour BrE; AmE -or, cf. Lâbor Pàrty Australia, etc. and Lâbour Pàrty Britain, 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 sheep = lám law, thrash
lambást or lambâste
lamént
lámentable or laméntable
Lampedûsa: Italian has a voiced s, but unvoiced is usual in English
Lámplugh *Lámplə
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
laságna *ləzánya, laságnê *ləzányi
lâser -z-; rhymes with râzor
lasso *lassoô
lāst
Làs Vègas: BrE usually *Lós Vègas because in AmE Làs = Lós, and/or by analogy with Lós Ángeles; some British speakers say Lás, but this produces the rather unfortunate "láss Vègas"
lâter
Látin
Latìno
làttè
látter
låud praise = BrE lŏrd master
låudanum
lāughter rhymes with āfter
laundrétte
laureate *lóriət
laurel *lórrel
làva volcano BrE = làrva insect
lávish cf. slâvish
låw legal = BrE lŏre folk: *lŏ; many Francophones cannot distinguish this word, instead pronouncing it like lôw *ləù
Lawrence, or Laurence as given name, w more common, Ló-
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, write, dog = lêde US journal (optional spelling to distinguish it from léad metal)
léad metal = léd took, past of lêad, cf. réad, past of rêad
lêader lead = lìêder songs
lêaf, singular of lêaves tree
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 tree and -s form of the verb lêave go
Lébanon -ənən; AmE -ón
léd guided = léad metal (Léd Zéppelin is so spelt as to avoid mispronunciation)
lêde introduction, 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
lé Fanu *Léfənu
léft hand, leave
léftie politics = léfty hand = Léfty = Léftie nicknames for lefty
légacy
lêgal
légend cf. lédge
législâtive AmE; BrE législatíve
législâtor
législatûre
Léicester city = Léster person; each forms a minimal trio with Léinster and Léominster
Léinster Ireland
Leîpzig
léisure BrE *lézher; AmE lêisure *lêzher; BrE rhyming with méasure, pléasure and tréasure
leîtmotìf has the anglicised spelling pronunciation, while the alternative leîtmotìv resembles the original German
lêmur animal BrE = Lìma Peru
Lénnox
léns *lénze, plural lénses
lént lend = Lént season = léant lean
Lêô
Léominster *Lémstər, see Léicester
Lêón person = Lỳón France, cf. lîon animal
Léonard *Lénnərd = Lénnard
léopard animal = Léppard person *lépərd, cf. Léonard, jéopardy, also silent o
lêotàrd *lêətàrd
léper *lépər, rhyming with pépper
léprechåun *léprekåun
Lerŏy or Lêroy, with variant spellings (R, -oi...)
Lés AmE = léss, BrE *Léz
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
Leŵ rare = Loû normal (shortenings of Leŵis)
leŵd cf. feûd
Leŵis person, Scotland *Loôwis = Leŵes England
Lhàsa
lîable, three syllables, cf. lîbel, two
liâisón *lì-âizón
lîar false = lŷre music
Líb Dém
lîbel
lîbelous; BrE can be lîbellous
líberal
libertãrian
líberty
libìdo
Lìbra
lîbrary - first r and a may be silent
librãrian
Líbya
lîcence BrE only
lîcense AmE; can be verb in BrE
lîcensêe *lîcencee
lîchen plant = lîken compare
lícker lick = líquor drink
lícoríce, líquoríce *líckerish
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 or Lísh-
lîed untruth
lìêd song
lìêder songs = lêader lead
lìen *lêən, or = lêan
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
lîne = Leŷne
línêage *línêíj, cf. lîne
línêar
lîner
lîneúp can be hyphenated or two words
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 = lícker lick
líquoríce, lícoríce *líckerish
Lísbon Portugal *Lízbən = BrE Lísburn Ireland, rhymes with Brísbane
líst column, sway = Líszt Franz
lísten *líssen
lístless *lístlíss
lîte: humorous or commercial spelling of lîght, unsuitable in other contexts
líterary
líttoral shore = líteral words - or can be littorāl; or be spelt with only one t, lítoral
líturgy
Liû Xiaobǒ *Lyû Shòu-båw, as it is pronounced by some broadcasters, though in English -bô is what comes naturally
líve verb
lîve adjective cf. lîfe noun
Líverpool cf. lîver bïrd
Liverpúdlian
lîvelihood
lîvely
lívery
líves verb
lîves life plural of lîfe
Líz
Ljubljàna´ *Lyùblyàna
llàma animal = làma Buddhism
Llanélli - Welsh names beginning with the voiceless alveolar fricative, IPA [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 has unvoiced th; its variant spelling lôth is perhaps preferable, to avoid confusion with lôathe, which is often used incorrectly in its place
lôathe hate has voiced th, *lôadh
lôathsome voiced th, no middle 'e'
lóch Scottish ch, like Arabic 'kh', phonetic symbol χ; Irish ones are lóugh, same pronunciation; cf. lóck
lóckjaw one word
lódge
Lodz *Wùdj
lôgo
Lôís
lolicon: stressless in Japanese; no standard English pronunciation
lóllipop
lólly
Lòndon
lône only = lôan money
lónger long, hard g sounded separately
longëur bore, g not sounded separately
longévity -njé-
Lóngfellow
loô toilet = Loû person = lieû in
loòkalike noun one word
loôm noun, verb
loôphole one word, no hyphen
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
loôsely
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
losing lose *loôzing
lóss
lôth disinclined: variant spelling of lôath (unvoiced th), and arguably preferable, as it is further from lôathe hate (voiced th)
Loû person = loô toilet = lieû in; Loû is the normal shortening of Leŵis, Leŵ Hôad being an exception
loûche -sh
lóugh = lóch
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
Lúddite
lúggage
lúllabŷ
lúmbar back = lúmber wood
lúscious *lúshous
lúsh
lûte music = loôt spoils
Lútyens can sound like *Lútchins
lúvvie, a satirical British word for an actor cf. lòve, lòvey-dòvey
Lúxemboürg
Luxemboürgian nationality
Lúxemboürgish language
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 = Lêón person, cf. lîon animal
Lŷra constellation, cf. lìra currency
lŷre harp = lîar cheat
lýric
Lýttelton cf. líttle