Are all of the “l” letters in these words pronounced the same? lead colleague feel
Here are these words written in narrow IPA transcription: liːd
The Rule
Is there a vowel sound after the letter "l"?
Yes No pronounce Light L pronounce Dark L
In addition, if the consonant sound /j/ is after “l” like in value /ˈvaljuː/, then the “l” is also pronounced as a Light L. Notice that in the word middle the letter “e” is not pronounced after the “l”. The (ə) indicates that pronouncing the /ə/ vowel is optional.
fell help middle
97
ˈkɒliːg
fiːɫ
fɛɫ hɛɫp mɪd(ə)ɫ
It can be omitted.
This rule works within words and between words. For example: call [kɔːɫ] (Dark L), but call a taxi [kɔːl ə ˈtaksi] (call has a Light L because there is a vowel sound after “l”. However, if you pause after call then there is no vowel after it and it can remain Dark: [kɔːɫ -pause- ə taksi])
Spelling Notice that Light and Dark Ls are spelled in the same way Spelling
l ll
Frequency often often
Example Words live, along, feel
Lloyd, llama, allow, fell
The spelling “ll” does not indicate a longer sound. Think of it as just one /l/ sound.
