English spellings/Catalogs/L
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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
lachrymôse *lacrimôse
lackadâisical
lácklustre/-er adjective one word
lácquer *lácker
láddies boys
lâdies women
lâdle
làger beer hard g, cf. soft g in làrger bigger
làh-dì-dàh
lâid egg, table, trap *lâyed
lâin down = lâne traffic
lãir hideout ≈ lâyer covering
lâissèz-fãire has a silent z: *lây-sây-fãir
lâíty rhymes with dèíty
lámb sheep = lám law, thrash
lambást or lambâste
lâme
lámè (may be written French-style lamé)
lamént
lámentable or laméntable
Lampedûsa: Italian has a voiced s, but unvoiced is usual in English
Lámplugh *Lámplə
LÁN local area network
lándscape
lâne road = lâin lie = Lâne, Lâine persons
lánguage *láng-gwij
lánguorous -uorou-: -ərə-
Làos nation = lòuse bug
lápdog one word
Láplánd
lápse negative = láps lap
largésse BrE; AmE can be largéss *larzhéss or = làrge S
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, as if "láss Vègas"
lâter, cf. látter
Látin
Latìno
làttè
látter
láttice cf. léttuce
låud praise = BrE lŏrd master
låudanum
lāughter rhymes with āfter
laundrétte
Låura
låureate BrE *lóriət
låurel BrE *lórrel
Låuren BrE Ló-
Låurence = Låwrence, BrE Ló-
Laurie = lórry, BrE ó, AmE å
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
Låwrence = Låurence as a boy's given name; the former, with w, is also a family name and as a given name is more common (u version is a girl's given name in French), BrE Ló-
låwyer *lŏyer
láx neglect = lácks lack
láxative
lây table, egg, snooker is a verb in its own right, past and past participle both lâid; even native speakers confuse lây with lîe down (past lây, past participle lâin): e.g. "laying low" for lŷing lôw
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
Léad Bélly is pronounced with the stress on the first word, as if it were one word, *Léadbelly
lêader lead = lìêder songs
Léadsom
lêaf, singular of lêaves tree
lêak liquid = lêek vegetable
lêague *lêeg
Léamington Spà begins like lémming
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 (past of lêad) = léad metal (Léd Zéppelin is so spelt as to avoid mispronunciation)
lêde, AmE alternative spelling of lêad introduction, intended to avoid confusion with léad metal
lédger makes a minimal pair with BrE léisure
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
legítimacy
Léicester city = Léster person; each forms a minimal trio with Léinster and Léominster
Léinster Ireland
Leîpzig
léisure BrE *lézher; AmE lêisure *lêzher; BrE rhymes with méasure, pléasure and tréasure, and makes a minimal pair with lédger
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 Def *lépərd (minimal pair with léper), cf. Léonard, jéopardy, also silent o
lêotàrd *lêətàrd
léper *lépər, rhyming with pépper, minimal pair with léopard
léprechåun *léprekåun
Lërner and Lôewe sounds like lëarner and lôw
Lerŏy or Lêroy, with variant spellings (R, -oi...)
Lés AmE = léss, BrE *Léz
lésbian
Lésbós
lèse-majesté *lâys-mázhestay
Lésley female = Léslie male
Lesotho *Lesûtû
léss more
léssen less = lésson school
lést in case, cf. lêast less
lêthal
léts allows = lét's suggestion
léttuce *léttis = Léttice, cf. láttice (minimal pair)
Levánt
lévee dam = lévy tax
lêver BrE (= lêaver leave); some AmE léver
lêverage BrE; AmE léverage, cf. béverage in both
Lêvî
Lévís, cf. Lêavis
lévy tax = lévee dam
Lêvy, Lévy persons
Leŵ rare = Loû normal (shortenings of Leŵis)
leŵd rhymes with rûde and feûd
Leŵis person, Scotland *Loôwis = Leŵes England
léxicon rhymes with Méxican
Lèyland
Leylándìî
Lhàsa
lîable, three syllables, cf. lîbel, two
liâisón *lì-âizón
lîar false = lŷre music, cf. lîe
Líb Dém
lîbel
lîbelous; BrE can be lîbellous
líberal
libertãrian
líberty
libìdo
Lìbra
lîbrary - first r and a may be silent
librãrian
Líbya, cf. Sýria
lîcence BrE noun only = lîcense
lîcensed *lîcenced
lîcensêe *lîcencee
lîcensure
licéntiate -shət
licéntious -shəss
lîchen plant = lîken compare
lícker lick = líquor drink
lícoríce AmE, líquoríce BrE *líckerish
líd = Lýdd
Lídl = Líddle = Líddell Alice
lîdo, lìdo
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 = lŷe chemical
Líechtensteîn Lík-, Lísh- or Lích- country, cf. Líchtensteîn Lík- Roy
lîed untruth
lìêd song
lìêder songs = lêader lead
lìen *lêən, or = lêan
lieû in = loô toilet = Loû person
lieuténant AmE loôt-, BrE léft- or loôt-
lîfelong one word
lîfestyle one word
lîfetime one word
lígament
Lígeti: hard g, schwa
lîght = lîte, humorous or commercial spelling thereof
lîghtning flash *lîtning ≈ lîghtening lighten
lîkable or lîkeable
lîkelihood
lîkely
lîke-mînded
Likùd
lîlac
Lilóngwè
líly = Lýly
líly-lívered
límb *lím, cf. clîmb up = clîme climate
lîme, cf. Lŷme Rêgis
límô *límmo
limousìne *limmazêen
límp
línchpín, cf. lýnch
Líncoln *Língkən, *Linkən
Líndsay = Línzey = Líndsey Lincolnshire
lîne = Leŷne
línêage *línêíj, *línny-ij, cf. lîne
línêar
lîner
lîneúp can be hyphenated or two words
lingerie BrE *lánzhery, AmE *lànjə-rèy
línk, cf. lýnx, Líncs
Línux
lîon animal = Lŷon person, cf. Lỳón France
líp-rêad
líquefy, cf. líquid, líquidate
liqueûr chocolate *licûre
líquor whisky = lícker lick
líquoríce BrE, lícoríce AmE *líckerish
*lírrick (cf. límerick) lýric
Lísbon Portugal *Lízbən = BrE Lísburn Ireland, rhymes with Brísbane
Liskeârd
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
líver organ
lîver bïrd
Líverpoôl, cf. poôl
Liverpúdlian *Líver-púddlian, cf. púddle
lîvelihoòd
lîvely
lívery
líves verb
lîves life plural of lîfe
Líz
Ljubljàna´ *Lyùblyàna
llàma animal = làma Buddhism
Llandudno -dídno; see following
Llanélli: Welsh names featuring, very often initially, the voiceless alveolar fricative, IPA [ɬ], written Ll-, ll-, are pronounced by many non-Welsh speakers with the substitute 'thl-', so: *Thlanéthly—though this does not apply to the very common Llŏyd *Lŏyd (nor to Llèyton, a variant of Lèyton)
Llŏyds bank = Llŏyd's insurance *Lŏydz
lôad heavy, fill = lôde rock
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'
lóbbyist *lóbbiest
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 = Loôe Cornwall
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
lôpe
loquâcious
lŏre folk BrE = låw rule
lorry transport = Laurie person, AmE å, BrE ó
Lós Ángeles, cf. Làs Vègas
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
lòud
lóugh = lóch
Loúghborough *Lúffbərə
Loûìs silent s = Loûìê, or (particularly in St. Loûís) = Leŵís
Louìse *Loô-wêez
Louisiána *Loû-êasy-Ánna, one n
lòur = lòwer frown, cf, lôwer
Loûrdes France = lûred lure
lòusy
lòut
lòve, cf. lôathe
lôw high = lô (archaic) look, cf. låw
lôwer low, cf. lòwer = lòur
Lûcas
lûcre *lûker
Lúddite
Lùfthansa *Lùft Hánsa
lúggage
lúllabŷ
lúmbar back = lúmber wood
lûrid; AmE also lürid
lúscious *lúshus
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
Lúxŏr
Lvív *Ləvív
lychêe is a more common spelling than lî-, lît- and litchì
lŷe chemical = lîe down, untrue
lŷing from lîe
lýmph
lýnch = Lýnch person, cf. línchpin
lýnx animal = línks link = Líncs Lincolnshire
Lỳón France = Lêón person, cf. lîon animal
Lŷra constellation, cf. lìra currency
lŷre harp = lîar cheat
lýric
Lỳse Doucet = lêes
Lysístrata, Lysistràta
Lýttelton, cf. líttle