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 *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: 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 - BrE usually *Lós Vègas by analogy with Lós Ángeles: in AmE Làs = Lós

'''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 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, newspaper = lêde newspaper - special 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

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

lêmur animal BrE = Lìma ''Peru

'''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 - 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 down, untrue cf. lŷing, '''lây

'''Líechtensteîn

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

lîkable or '''lîkeable

'''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. Lỳón 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

'''lîvelihood

'''lîvely

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

Loûrdes France = lûred ''lure

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

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