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

Lôís

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