English spellings/Catalogs/L
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This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with L. To see a different letter (or the main page) navigate with the table at the top.
L
L = él railway
labŏrious
lâbour BrE; AmE -or, cf. Lâbor Pàrty Australia, etc.
lâbourer BrE; AmE -or-
lábyrinth
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: both are two syllables, but lâir is normally shorter
lâissèz-fãire has a silent z: *lây-sây-fãir
lámb -m
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 *lássoô
Làs Vègas - many British speakers say *Lós Vègas probably because they would normally read Las with the á sound, the AmE Làs sounds to British ears like Lós, and by analogy with Lós Ángeles
lâter
làttè
látter
låud praise = BrE lŏrd master
låudanum
lāughter rhymes with āfter
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 as a verb in its own right, or as past of lîe; = lâze lazy
lâybŷ
lâyer covering ≈ lãir hideout: both are two syllables, but lâyer is normally longer
lâze lazy = lâys table
lâzy
lêa grass = lêe shelter = Lêe = Lêigh persons
lêach percolate = leêch worm, sail
lêast cf. lést
lêaves leave, leaf
lêad first, guide
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 attributive adj: a *lëarníd mán
lêast less cf. lést in case
Lébanon -ənən; AmE -ón
léd guided = léad metal
lée shelter = Lêe = Lêigh = Lêa persons = lêa grass
lêes dregs cf. lêase contract, unvoiced s
leêch worm, sail = lêach percolate
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
Léinster
léisure BrE *lézher; AmE lêisure *lêzher; BrE rhyming with méasure, pléasure and tréasure
leîtmotìf
Lénnox
léns *lénze, plural lénses
lént lend = Lént season = léant lean
Lêô
Léominster *Lémstə
Léonard *Lénnəd = Lénnard
léopard animal = Léppard person *lépəd, cf. Léonard, jéopardy, also silent o
lêotàrd *lêətàd
léper *lépə, rhyming with pépper
Lêroy
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
librãrian
Líbya
lîcence BrE or lîcense AmE; can be verb in BrE
lîcensêe *lîcencee
lîchen plant = lîken compare
lîe down, untrue cf. lŷing, lây
lìên *lêən
lìêder songs = lêader lead
lieuténant AmE lût-, BrE léft- or lût-
lîfestyle one word
lîfetime one word
lígament
lîght *lîte - but ‘lite’ can be seen commercially
lîghtning flash *lîtning ≈ lîghtening lighten
lîkelihood
lîkely
lîke-mînded
lîlac
Lilóngwè
líly-lívered
límb *lím, cf. clîmb up = clîme climate
lîme cf. Lŷme Rêgis
límô
limousìne *limmazêen
línchpín cf. lýnch
Líncoln *Língkən
Líndsay = Líndsey *Línzy
línêage *línêíj, cf. lîne
lingerie BrE *lánzhery, AmE *lànjerèy, è stressed
Línux
lîon animal = Lŷon person, cf. Lỳon France
líp-rêad
líquefy cf. líquid, líquidate
liqueûr chocolate *licûre
líquor whisky *líkker
Lîsa
Lísbon *Lízbən
líst column, sway = Líszt Franz
lísten *líssen
lístless *lístlíss
lîte - humorous or commercial spelling of lîght
líterary
líturgy
líve verb
lîve adjective cf. lîfe noun
Líverpool
Liverpúdlian
líves verb
lîves life plural of lîfe
Líz
Lìza – usually
Ljubljàna´ *Lyùblyàna
llàma animal = làma Buddhism
Llanélli - Welsh names featuring 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
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
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 insecure
loses lû-, cf. lósses
lóss
lôth disinclined variant of lôath, and arguably preferable, as it is further from lôathe hate
loûche -sh
Loûìs silent s, or (particularly in St. Loûis) = Leŵís
Louìse
Louisiána Lûì-; one n
lòve cf. lôathe
lôw cf. låw
lûchre *lûker, AmE lûcher
lúggage
lúllabŷ
lúmbar back = lúmber wood
lûte music = loôt spoils
lúvvie, a satirical British word for an actor cf. lòve, lòvey-dòvey
Lúxemboürg
lŷing from lîe
lmph
lýnch = Lýnch person, cf. línchpin
lýnx animal = línks link
Lỳón France cf. lîon animal
lŷre harp = lîar cheat