ll
ll is a specific letter of the Welsh alphabet.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly pronounce ll as a standard English l, but in Welsh, ll is a distinct consonant that cannot be substituted with the English l sound.
Did you know?
- The sound of ll is an example of a voiceless lateral fricative, a sound so rare that it is almost entirely absent from the world's most spoken languages.
- In the Welsh alphabet, ll is treated as a single letter and is sorted after l in dictionaries and phone books.
- The letter ll is a key part of the word Llan, which originally meant 'enclosure' and later became the standard prefix for 'church' in Welsh place names.
Example conversation
Rhiannon is helping Rhys with his Welsh alphabet practice.
- RhiannonWyt ti'n gallu dweud 'll'?Can you say 'll'?
- RhysMae'n anodd dweud 'll' yn gywir.It is hard to say 'll' correctly.
- RhiannonRhowch anfon y blastr gyda 'll'.Put the blast with 'll'.
- RhysWelwch, rwy'n gallu dweud 'll' nawr!Look, I can say 'll' now!
