How to pronounce left
Say it like LEFT. Left is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- LEFT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Left pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LEFTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of left
American and British speakers say left in essentially the same way: /lɛft/ in the US and /lɛft/ in the UK.
British respelling: LEFT.
What does left mean?
- Designating the side of the body toward the west when one is facing north; the side of the body on which the heart is located in most humans; the opposite of right. This arrow points to the reader's left: ←“The left side.”
- Anticlockwise, particularly when describing a change in direction or orientation.“The road up ahead contains a left bend.”
- Designating the bank of a river (etc.) on one's left when facing downstream (i.e. facing forward while floating with the current); that is, the north bank of a river that flows eastward. If this arrow: ⥲ shows the direction of the current, the tilde is on the left side of the river.“The Eiffel Tower is on the left bank of the Seine.”
- On the left side.
- Towards the left side.“Turn left at the corner. NO! Your other left.”
- Towards the political left.“The East Coast of the US leans left in elections.”
- The left side or direction.
- The left-wing political parties as a group; citizens holding left-wing views as a group.“The Left left workers behind, thinking they had a winning demographic coalition. It hasn't really worked out for them yet.”
- The left hand or fist.
Where does left come from?
From Middle English left, luft, leoft, lift, lyft, from Old English left, lyft (“weak, clumsy, foolish”), attested in Old English lyftādl (“palsy, paralysis”), from Proto-Germanic *luft-, from *lubjaną (“to castrate, lop off”) (compare dial
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with left
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of left.
Questions about saying left
How do you pronounce left?
Say LEFT. The American pronunciation is /lɛft/. In British English it is /lɛft/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in left?
Left is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: LEFT.
Do Americans and Brits say left the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /lɛft/ and the British form is /lɛft/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.