Spanish Words Starting with ‘L’
Common Spanish words that start with L include libro (book), leche (milk), luz (light), lugar (place), lunes (Monday), leer (to read), llegar (to arrive) and listo (ready, clever). The Spanish L is always a clear “l”, like the l in “leaf”, never the darker l at the end of English “full”. Many of the most frequent words in the language also start with L, because the articles and pronouns la, las, los, le, les and lo do.
Below, the words are grouped by meaning, with their gender and real example sentences. Words beginning with the double L (llamar, lluvia) sound different, so they have their own section and their own page: Spanish words that start with LL.
How to pronounce L and LL
- L – the tip of the tongue touches the ridge behind the top teeth, and the sound stays clear in every position: libro, sal, alto, papel. Don’t let it go “dark” at the end of a word: sol ends crisply.
- LL – in most of Spain and Latin America it sounds like the y in “yes” (llave = YAH-veh). In Argentina and Uruguay it sounds like “sh” or the s in “measure” (SHAH-veh). In parts of the Andes it keeps an older “ly” sound.
The little L words you’ll use every day
| Word | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| la / las | the (feminine) / her, it, them (object) | La conozco. – I know her. |
| el / los | the (masculine) – only los starts with L | Los niños juegan. |
| lo | him, it (object); “the … thing” | Lo bueno es que… – The good thing is that… |
| le / les | to him, to her, to you, to them | Le di el libro. – I gave him the book. |
| luego | later; then | Hasta luego. – See you later. |
| lejos | far | Mi casa está lejos. |
| lento / lentamente | slow / slowly | Habla más lento, por favor. |
| lunes | Monday | El lunes empiezo. (see Monday in Spanish) |
Le and lo are pronouns, not interchangeable: lo is the direct object (what is seen, bought, read) and le the indirect one (who receives). Lo vi means “I saw him”; le dije means “I told him”. The difference is explained in direct vs indirect object pronouns.
Nouns that start with L
Home, school and daily life
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el libro | book |
| la librería | bookshop (not library) |
| el lápiz | pencil (plural lápices) |
| la lección | lesson |
| la lengua | tongue; language |
| la letra | letter (of the alphabet); handwriting; song lyrics |
| la lista | list |
| la lámpara | lamp |
| la luz | light; electricity (plural luces) |
| el lavabo | washbasin; toilet (Spain) |
| la lavadora | washing machine |
| el lugar | place |
| el lado | side: al lado de (next to) |
| la ley | law |
| la línea | line |
Food and drink
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la leche | milk |
| la lechuga | lettuce |
| el limón | lemon (in Mexico also lime) |
| la lima | lime; file (for nails) |
| las lentejas | lentils |
| la langosta | lobster; locust |
| el lomo | loin (of pork or beef) |
| la limonada | lemonade |
| el licor | liqueur, spirits |
Nature and animals
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el lago | lake |
| la luna | moon |
| la lluvia | rain (LL) |
| el león / la leona | lion / lioness |
| el lobo | wolf |
| el loro | parrot |
| la lagartija | small lizard |
| el lagarto | lizard |
| la liebre | hare |
| la libélula | dragonfly |
| el lirio | lily |
People, feelings and ideas
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el/la líder | leader |
| el/la lector/a | reader |
| el/la locutor/a | radio or TV presenter |
| la libertad | freedom |
| la lealtad | loyalty |
| la lágrima | tear (from crying) |
| la lucha | fight, struggle; wrestling |
| el lujo | luxury: un hotel de lujo |
| la locura | madness |
| el logro | achievement |
Body, clothes and health
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| los labios | lips |
| la lengua | tongue |
| las lentes / los lentes | glasses (Latin America); las gafas in Spain |
| las lentillas | contact lenses (Spain); lentes de contacto elsewhere |
| el lunar | mole, beauty spot; polka dot (un vestido de lunares) |
| la lesión | injury (not usually “lesion”) |
| la liga | league; hair tie or elastic band (Mexico) |
| el lazo | bow, ribbon; tie, bond |
| la lana | wool; money (slang, Mexico) |
| el lino | linen |
Body parts normally take the article, not a possessive: Me duelen los labios (My lips hurt), not mis labios me duelen.
Verbs that start with L
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| leer | to read | Leo antes de dormir. – I read before I sleep. |
| lavar | to wash | Lava los platos, por favor. |
| lavarse | to wash (yourself) | Me lavo las manos. – I wash my hands. |
| levantar | to lift, raise | Levanta la mano si sabes la respuesta. |
| levantarse | to get up | Me levanto a las siete. |
| limpiar | to clean | Limpiamos la casa los sábados. |
| llegar | to arrive (LL) | ¿A qué hora llegas? |
| llamar / llamarse | to call / to be called (LL) | Me llamo Ana. – My name is Ana. |
| llevar | to carry, take; to wear (LL) | Lleva una chaqueta azul. – She’s wearing a blue jacket. |
| llorar | to cry (LL) | El bebé llora mucho. |
| llover | to rain (LL) | Está lloviendo. – It’s raining. |
| luchar | to fight, struggle | Luchó por sus derechos. |
| lograr | to achieve, manage to | Logré terminar a tiempo. – I managed to finish on time. |
| lanzar | to throw, launch | Lanzaron un nuevo producto. |
| lamentar | to regret, be sorry about | Lamento la espera. – I’m sorry for the wait. |
Two spelling points: leer changes i to y in some forms (leyó, leyendo), and llegar adds a u in the yo preterite (llegué) to keep the hard g. Lanzar changes z to c before e: lancé.
Adjectives that start with L
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| largo/a | long (not large) | una película larga – a long film |
| limpio/a | clean | La cocina está limpia. |
| lleno/a | full (LL) | El vaso está lleno. |
| libre | free (not busy, not captive) | ¿Está libre este asiento? – Is this seat free? |
| ligero/a | light (weight); slight | una comida ligera – a light meal |
| lindo/a | pretty, lovely (Latin America) | ¡Qué lindo día! |
| listo/a | estar listo = ready; ser listo = clever | ¿Estás lista? Tu hija es muy lista. |
| lento/a | slow | El tráfico está muy lento. |
| lejano/a | distant, faraway | un país lejano |
| leal | loyal | un amigo leal |
| loco/a | crazy, mad | ¡Estás loco! |
| local | local | la prensa local |
Listo is the classic ser/estar pair: the verb changes the meaning. Libre takes estar when it means “available”: Estoy libre el viernes (I’m free on Friday).
Everyday expressions with L words
- Hasta luego. – See you later / bye.
- Lo siento. – I’m sorry.
- Lo sé. – I know.
- ¡Listo! – Done! / All set! (very common in Latin America)
- A lo largo de – throughout, along: a lo largo del año.
- Al lado de – next to: al lado del banco.
- Por lo menos – at least.
- Lo antes posible – as soon as possible.
- Dar a luz – to give birth.
- Estar en la luna – to have your head in the clouds, to be daydreaming.
- Sacar la lengua – to stick your tongue out.
- Ser un lince – to be very sharp (a lince is a lynx).
Example sentences with L words
- Los lunes leo el periódico local. – On Mondays I read the local paper.
- La lámpara del salón no tiene luz. – The living-room lamp has no light.
- Llegamos tarde porque el tráfico estaba lento. – We arrived late because the traffic was slow.
- Me lavo la cara con agua limpia. – I wash my face with clean water.
- El lago está lejos, pero el lugar es precioso. – The lake is far away, but the place is beautiful.
- ¿Me prestas tu lápiz? Lo necesito para la lección. – Can you lend me your pencil? I need it for the lesson.
- Compré leche, lechuga y limones. – I bought milk, lettuce and lemons.
- Lograron llegar a la luna en 1969. – They managed to reach the moon in 1969.
Reading practice: a short text full of L words
Los lunes Lucía se levanta temprano y lleva a su hijo al colegio. Luego va a la librería del barrio, donde trabaja. Le gusta su lugar de trabajo porque es luminoso y tranquilo, y los lectores son simpáticos. A la hora de comer toma algo ligero: una ensalada de lechuga con limón. Por la tarde, cuando llueve, lee una novela larga al lado de la ventana. Por la noche limpia la cocina, apaga las luces y mira la luna antes de dormir.
Translation: On Mondays Lucía gets up early and takes her son to school. Then she goes to the neighbourhood bookshop, where she works. She likes her workplace because it is bright and quiet, and the readers are friendly. At lunchtime she has something light: a lettuce salad with lemon. In the afternoon, when it rains, she reads a long novel next to the window. At night she cleans the kitchen, turns off the lights and looks at the moon before she goes to sleep.
Notice se levanta (reflexive: she gets up), lleva (takes, from llevar), le gusta (she likes, with the pronoun le), llueve (it rains, from llover) and lee (she reads). Five different L and LL verbs, each in a common everyday use.
False friends starting with L
| Spanish | Real meaning | Not |
|---|---|---|
| librería | bookshop | library (biblioteca) |
| largo | long | large (grande) |
| lectura | reading | lecture (conferencia, clase) |
| lujuria | lust | luxury (lujo) |
Common mistakes
- Dark English L: papel and hotel end in a clear l, with the tongue tip up.
- Pronouncing LL as L: llamar is “yah-MAR”, not “lah-MAR”.
- Lápizes: z becomes c before e, so the plural is lápices; likewise luz → luces.
- Una casa larga for “a large house”: large is grande; largo is only for length.
- Estoy listo vs soy listo: “I’m ready” vs “I’m clever”. Mixing them changes the meaning.
- Missing accents: lámpara, lágrima, línea, lección, limón, león all need them.
Practice
- Translate: “The bookshop is next to the lake.”
- Choose: Mi hermano es muy (listo / lleno); siempre saca buenas notas.
- Give the plural of luz and lápiz.
- Which word means “long”: largo or grande?
- Complete: ¿A qué hora ___ el tren? (to arrive)
Answers: 1. La librería está al lado del lago. 2. listo. 3. luces, lápices. 4. largo. 5. llega.
Quick answers
Is LL a separate letter in Spanish?
Not any more. The Royal Spanish Academy stopped counting ch and ll as separate letters of the alphabet in 2010, and dictionaries have filed ll words under L since 1994. It is still a separate sound, so it is taught on its own.
What are some Spanish adjectives starting with L to describe a person?
Leal (loyal), listo (clever), lindo (lovely), libre (free), loco (crazy) and luchador (a fighter, determined).
More vocabulary by letter: Spanish words that start with M and Spanish words that start with C.
