English spellings/Catalogs/L

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

Lámplugh *Lámplə

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

'''lívery

líves verb

lîves life plural of '''lîfe

'''Líz

Ljubljàna´ *Lyùblyàna

llàma animal = làma Buddhism

Llanélli - Welsh names beginning with the voiceless alveolar fricative, 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

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

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