L

French consonant

The letter L is usually pronounced similarly to L in English, except that it is dental rather than alveolar (see consonant lesson, "place of articulation"). Phonetic symbol: [l].

However, in most words with a vowel plus IL, L is pronounced like a Y. Phonetic symbol: [j].

LL may be pronounced either way – learn more.

the letter l
la laitue		lettuce
laver		to wash
blond		blond
l’ail		garlic
mille		thousand
la fille		girl

 Related lessons

• Letter combinations: AIL | EIL | EUIL | IL | LL | ŒIL | UEIL | UIL
• Introduction to consonants
• French alphabet

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