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

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

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, 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 *lóriət

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

lé Fanu *Léfənu

léft hand, leave

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

légacy

lêgal

légend cf. lédge

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

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".'

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

leŵd cf. feûd

Leŵis Scotland, person *Loôwis = Leŵes England

Lhàsa

liâison lì-

lîable, three syllables, cf. lîbel, two

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 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 or Lísh-

lìen *lêən, or = lêan

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

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 *líkker

Lísbon Portugal *Lízbən = BrE Lísburn Ireland

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

líve verb

lîve adjective cf. lîfe noun

Líverpool cf. lîver bïrd

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 has unvoiced th; its variant spelling lôth is perhaps preferable, to avoid confusion with the following, 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, cf. lóck; Irish ones are lóugh, same pronunciation

lóckjaw one word

lódge

Lodz *Wùdj

lôgo

Lôís

lólicón, either stressed (stressless in Japanese), but see this discussion at Wikipedia

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

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 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

Lúddite

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

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

Lýttelton