The sound of the letter L is one of the earliest sounds children learn to use. Teaching it as part of vocabulary lessons is an important part of linguistic development. This list of L words for kids is designed to engage students and help them distinguish it in their speech from similar sounds.
Preschool Words That Begin With L
There are lots of simple words beginning with L. With preschoolers, it's important to focus on helping them learn to recognize the L sound using words they're likely to hear at home and school.
lady |
laptop |
late |
lead |
learn |
lesson |
let |
letter |
lick |
life |
light |
lily |
limit |
listen |
litter |
little |
lizard |
load |
loaf |
lobby |
long |
lose |
Pre-K Printable: Trace the L
While going over L sounds, also set aside some time for preschoolers to practice printing the letter L. The PDF printable worksheet provides a fun trace-the-letter activity that is educational and fun for pre-k learners.
Kindergarten Words That Start With L
This L words list is designed to provide kindergarten students with simple, concrete word concepts that can easily be connected to memorable images.
- ladder: tool for climbing, made of two long parallel pieces with steps between
- lamb: baby sheep
- lamp: device for making light
- land: solid surface of the Earth
- leaf: small green part of a plant
- leap: to jump up from the ground
- leak: a hole in a container allowing a substance to escape
- lean: to bend, to shift your weight to the side
- lightbulb: a bulb providing brightness that makes it possible to see
- lid: removable top of a container
- lift: to raise up
- like: to prefer or be pleased with something
- line: a straight path
- lion: Large predatory cat from Africa and Asia
- log: Big piece of wood
- look: To see something
- love: feelings of deep affection
- lunch: Middle meal of the day
Matching Worksheet: Connect Pictures to L Words
Use the printable worksheet below to help kindergarteners build sight word skills. They'll enjoy drawing lines to match pictures with words, as well as coloring the images.
L words for kids matching activity
Click to View & DownloadFill-in-the-Blank Worksheet Activity
Be sure to make visual connections between these L words and their definitions. A simple fill-in-the-blank quiz with engaging images will help your kindergarten students connect these words with pictures in their heads. We've provided a sample worksheet here that you can download and print for your students.
Letter l fill blank quiz 2
Click to View & DownloadEarly Elementary: Words That Start With L
First grade and second grade students will enjoy learning L words for kids that conjure clear images. This list also includes a few words that describe more abstract concepts so they can start building a stronger vocabulary.
- label: description of an object on a piece of paper or cloth attached to it
- lace: decorative fabric with a pattern of holes
- lane: narrow path or road
- large: bigger than average size
- laugh: sound people make when something is funny
- lava: molten rock that shoots up from volcanoes
- lawn: patch of grass around a home
- lettuce: leafy vegetable used in salad
- leave: to go away, to exit
- lend: to let someone borrow
- leopard: spotted predatory cat of Asia and Africa
- library: room or building full of books
- lightning: electrical discharge from a storm
- loan: to let someone borrow something from you, or something borrowed from someone else
- lock: securing something so a key is needed to open it
- loose: not tight, hanging, untied
- loud: powerful sound
- lucky: having good fortune, things tending to work out in your favor
Visual Vocabulary Activities
This list of words is made with pictures in mind. Bring in magazines or queue up a slideshow or video playlist for your class. A picture of a leopard or a video of someone making a lucky shot in basketball will help set meanings in your students' minds.
Explore Multiple Meanings
These words lend themselves to activities that explore their multiple meanings. You could use look to begin explaining the concept of nouns and verbs, or take loud and explore the difference between concrete and abstract: loud noises vs. loud colors or clothes.
Upper Elementary: Things That Start With L
These L words for third through fifth graders are intended to help young students expand their vocabulary in a meaningful way while also proving the language arts background they'll need before moving on to middle school.
- lack: the absence of something; not having a thing
- landing: the moment when an aircraft safely touches the ground
- laundry: a place to wash clothes, or clothes to be washed
- lax: relaxed, either physically or in regard to rules
- lazy: unenergetic, not wanting to work
- leader: the person in charge of a particular job
- lifeguard: someone who helps swimmers in case of trouble
- limb: large tree branch, or the arm or leg of a person or animal
- limber: flexible, easily bent
- limp: something that has lost its hardness, or to walk with a hurt foot or leg
- llama: mammals that are ruminants
- lonely: solitary or alone; missing being around others
- lovely: something beautiful, or that inspires love, affection, and good feeling
- loyal: committed to something or someone, faithful
- lure: something that attracts an animal, often a fish, to be caught
- lush: rich with life or color
Practice L Words With Writing Prompts
Good upper elementary activities involve putting these words in context or making them part of a bigger picture. Encourage creativity with age-appropriate writing prompts. Students can write stories or poetry by taking inspiration from their vocabulary list of words that begin with L.
Learn L Words, Then Move to M
The L sound is an easy one for kids to make, even before they start learning words. The sound is a common one in English, as many words begin with L. Do you need even more L words for your vocabulary and spelling lessons? You'll find even more with Wordfinder's list of words that start with the letter L. It's a great addition to the lists above, and it even comes with a lovely advanced search tool to select words with the correct letters and length.
Engage your students with the larger meanings of these words to help them understand the world around them. Then, continue moving forward through the alphabet to further enrich their love of language arts. Move next to words that start with M for kids, where you'll find additional word lists and activities.