English spellings/Catalogs/L
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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
labŏrious
lâbour BrE; AmE -or, cf. Lâbor Pàrty Australia, 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 - silent b *lám
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 *lassoô
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 *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 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
lêast cf. lést
lêaves leave, leaf
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 attributive adj: a *lëarníd mán
lêast less cf. lést in case
Lébanon -ənən; AmE -ón
léd guided = léad metal (Léd Zéppelin is so spelt as to avoid mispronunciation)
lêde article = lêad
lée shelter = Lêe = Lêigh = Lêa persons = lêa grass
lêes dregs cf. lêase contract, unvoiced s: minimal pair
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; each forms a minimal pair with...
Léinster Ireland
léisure BrE *lézher; AmE lêisure *lêzher; BrE rhyming with méasure, pléasure and tréasure
leîtmotìf
lêmur animal BrE = Lìma Peru
Lénnox
léns *lénze, plural lénses
lént lend = Lént season = léant lean
Lêô
Léominster *Lémstə(r)
Léonard *Lénnə(r)d = Lénnard
léopard animal = Léppard person *lépə(r)d, cf. Léonard, jéopardy, also silent o
lêotàrd *lêətà(r)d
léper *lépə(r), 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 - 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
lìen *lêən
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 = Líndsey *Línzy
línêage *línêíj, cf. lîne
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 *Lízbən
líst column, sway = Líszt Franz
lísten *líssen
lístless *lístlíss
lîte - humorous or commercial spelling of lîght, unsuitable in other contexts
líterary
líturgy
líve verb
lîve adjective cf. lîfe noun
Líverpool
Liverpúdlian
lîvelihood
lîvely
líves verb
lîves life plural of lîfe
Líz
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
lóllipop
lólly
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
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
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
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 cf. lîon animal
Lŷra constellation, cf. lìra currency
lŷre harp = lîar cheat
Lýttelton