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{{Latin letter info|l}}
'''L''', or '''l''', is the twelfth [[Letter (alphabet)|letter]]
==History==
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Lamedh may have come from a pictogram of an ox [[goad]] or [[cattle prod]]. Some have suggested a shepherd's staff.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/3_lam.html|title = Ancient Hebrew Research Center|access-date = 12 January 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150103100530/http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/3_lam.html|archive-date = 3 January 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref>
==Use in writing systems==▼
{{redirect|ℓ|the azimuthal quantum number|Azimuthal quantum number}}▼
<!-- Serif l, sans-serif l and cursive ℓ are [[allograph]]s of the grapheme ⟨l⟩ so the {{char}} template has been chosen to isolate them for inspection (xref [[Use mention distinction]]). Note that the angle-bracket notation (⟨...⟩) is used to denote a [[grapheme]] – in this case the letter l, however written: it should not be used to denote a [[glyph]]. See also [[International Phonetic Alphabet#Brackets and transcription delimiters]].▼
In phonetic and phonemic transcription, the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] uses {{angbr IPA|l}} to represent the [[lateral alveolar approximant]].▼
-->▼
In most [[sans-serif]] typefaces, the lowercase letter ''ell'' {{angbr|l}}, written {{char|{{Sans-serif|l}}}}, may be difficult to distinguish from the uppercase letter "eye" {{angbr|[[I]]}}; in some [[serif]] typefaces, the [[glyph]] {{char|{{Serif|l}}}} may be confused with the glyph {{char|1}}, the digit ''[[1 (number)|one]]''. To avoid such confusion, some newer computer fonts (such as [[Trebuchet MS]]) have a [[finial (typography)|finial]], a curve to the right at the bottom of the lowercase letter ''ell''.▼
Another means of reducing such confusion is to use symbol {{char|ℓ}}, which is a [[cursive]], handwriting-style lowercase form of the letter "ell"; this form is seen in European road signs and advertisements. In Japan, for example, this is the symbol for the [[Litre|liter]]. (The [[International Committee for Weights and Measures]] recommends using {{char|{{serif|L}}}} or {{char|{{serif|l}}}} for the liter,<ref name="BIPM2006-brochure" /> without specifying a typeface.) In [[Unicode]], the cursive form is encoded as {{Unichar|2113|SCRIPT SMALL L}} from the "[[Letterlike Symbols (Unicode block)|letter-like symbols]]" block. In mathematical formulas, an italic form (''{{char|ℓ}}'') of the script ℓ is the norm. In addition, Unicode encodes an explicit symbol as {{Unichar|1D4C1|MATHEMATICAL SCRIPT SMALL L}}.<ref>[https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode15.1.0/ch22.pdf The Unicode Standard, Version 15.0, Chapter 22]</ref> In practice, since rendering in [[computer font]]s may vary dramatically, it is strongly recommended not to use the special Unicode symbols but rather to use the [[TeX]] syntax <span style="font-family:monospace"><NOWIKI><math>\ell</math></NOWIKI></span>, which renders as <math>\ell</math>. ▼
Another solution, sometimes seen in [[Web typography]], uses a serif font for the lowercase letter ''ell'', such as {{char|{{Serif|l}}}}, in otherwise sans-serif text.▼
In the [[blackletter]] type used in England until the seventeenth century,<ref>{{Cite book|title=An introduction to the history of printing types; an illustrated summary of main stages in the development of type design from 1440 up to the present day: an aid to type face identification.|last=Dowding|first=Geoffrey|publisher=Wace|year=1962|location=Clerkenwell [London]|pages=5}}</ref>{{efn|Blackletter persisted in Germany until the early 1940s. See [[Antiqua–Fraktur dispute]]}} the letter L is rendered as <math>\mathfrak{L}</math>.▼
▲==Use in writing systems==
===English===
In [[English orthography]], {{angbr|l}} usually represents the phoneme {{IPAc-en|l}}, which can have several sound values, depending on the speaker's accent, and whether it occurs before or after a vowel. The [[alveolar lateral approximant]] (the sound represented in [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] by lowercase {{IPA|[l]}}) occurs before a vowel, as in ''lip'' or ''blend'', while the [[velarized alveolar lateral approximant]] (IPA {{IPA|[ɫ]}}) occurs in ''bell'' and ''milk''. This velarization does not occur in many European languages that use {{angbr|l}}; it is also a factor making the pronunciation of {{angbr|l}} difficult for users of languages that lack {{angbr|l}} or have different values for it, such as [[Japanese language|Japanese]] or some southern dialects of [[Chinese language|Chinese]]. A medical condition or speech impediment restricting the pronunciation of {{angbr|l}} is known as [[lambdacism]].
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In [[Washo language|Washo]], lower-case {{angbr|l}} represents a typical [l] sound, while upper-case {{angbr|L}} represents a [[Voicelessness|voiceless]] [l̥] sound, a bit like double {{angbr|ll}} in [[Welsh language|Welsh]].
===Other systems===
▲
==Other uses==
{{main article|L (disambiguation)}}
* The capital letter L is used as the [[currency sign]] for the [[Albanian lek]] and the [[Honduran lempira]]. It was often used, especially in handwriting, as the currency sign for the [[Italian lira]]. Historically, it was commonly used as a currency sign for the British [[pound sterling]] (to abbreviate the Latin {{lang|la|[[Carolingian pound|libra]]}}, a pound, see [[£sd]]); in modern usage it has been overtaken by the [[pound sign]] (£), which is based on the [[blackletter]] form of the letter. In running text, its lower-case form (usually [[italics|italicised]]), ''<span style="font-family:serif">l</span>'', was more often seen.{{efn|For example, see the [[Diary of Samuel Pepys]] for 31{{nbsp}}December 1661: " I suppose myself to be worth about 500''l.'' clear in the world, ..."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pepys |first=Samuel |title=The Diary of Samuel Pepys | chapter=Tuesday 31 December 1661 |date=31 December 2004 |chapter-url=https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1661/12/31/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124225143/https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1661/12/31/ |archive-date=24 November 2021}}</ref>}}
* The [[Roman numeral]] L represents the number [[50 (number)|50]].<ref name="Gordon">{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedintro0000gord | url-access=registration | quote=roman numerals. | title=Illustrated Introduction to Latin Epigraphy | publisher=University of California Press | date=1983 | access-date=3 October 2015 | author=Gordon, Arthur E. | pages=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedintro0000gord/page/44 44]| isbn=9780520038981 }}</ref>
* In the [[International system of units]], the [[liter]] (or litre) is abbreviated using an upper-case (or a lower-case) L.<ref name="BIPM2006-brochure">{{cite web|url=https://www.bipm.org/documents/20126/41483022/SI-Brochure-9-EN.pdf |title=The International System of Units (SI) {{!}} The SI brochure, 9th edition, 2019 |access-date=23 July 2023 |date=December 2022 |quote= {{serif|The litre, and the symbol lower-case l, were adopted by the CIPM in 1879 (PV, 1879, 41). The alternative symbol, capital L, was adopted by the 16th CGPM (1979, Resolution 6; CR, 101 and Metrologia, 1980, 16, 56-57) in order to avoid the risk of confusion between the letter l (el) and the numeral 1 (one). }}}}</ref> ▼
* In watchmaking, the [[ligne]] (a traditional French measure of length still used in the industry) is abbreviated using an upper-case L.<ref name=Swiss>{{cite web |title=Foire aux questions sur l'horlogerie et les montres |trans-title=Frequently asked questions about watches and clocks |language=fr |url=http://www.horlogerie-suisse.com/horlomag/articles-horlogers/00199/foire-aux-questions-sur-l-horlogerie-et-les-montres |accessdate=2022-01-18 |website=horlogerie-suisse.com |quote={{lang|fr|Par tradition ancestrale, les horlogers n’utilisent pas le millimètre mais la ligne pour désigner le diamètre d'encageage d'un mouvement.}} |trans-quote=By ancestral tradition, watchmakers do not use the millimeter but the line to designate the casing diameter of a movement |archive-date=2022-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121164847/http://www.horlogerie-suisse.com/horlomag/articles-horlogers/00199/foire-aux-questions-sur-l-horlogerie-et-les-montres |url-status=dead }}</ref>▼
▲In the [[International system of units]], the [[liter]] (or litre) is abbreviated using an upper-case (or a lower-case) L.<ref name="BIPM2006-brochure">{{cite web|url=https://www.bipm.org/documents/20126/41483022/SI-Brochure-9-EN.pdf |title=The International System of Units (SI) {{!}} The SI brochure, 9th edition, 2019 |access-date=23 July 2023 |date=December 2022 |quote= {{serif|The litre, and the symbol lower-case l, were adopted by the CIPM in 1879 (PV, 1879, 41). The alternative symbol, capital L, was adopted by the 16th CGPM (1979, Resolution 6; CR, 101 and Metrologia, 1980, 16, 56-57) in order to avoid the risk of confusion between the letter l (el) and the numeral 1 (one). }}}}</ref>
* In chemistry, L is used as a symbol for the [[Avogadro constant]].<ref name=iupac1996>H. P. Lehmann, X. Fuentes-Arderiu, and L. F. Bertello (1996): "Glossary of terms in quantities and units in Clinical Chemistry (IUPAC-IFCC Recommendations 1996)"; page 963, item "[https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/A00543 Avogadro constant]". ''Pure and Applied Chemistry'', volume 68, issue 4, pages 957–1000. {{doi|10.1351/pac199668040957}}</ref>▼
▲In watchmaking, the [[ligne]] (a traditional French measure of length still used in the industry) is abbreviated using an upper-case L.<ref name=Swiss>{{cite web |title=Foire aux questions sur l'horlogerie et les montres |trans-title=Frequently asked questions about watches and clocks |language=fr |url=http://www.horlogerie-suisse.com/horlomag/articles-horlogers/00199/foire-aux-questions-sur-l-horlogerie-et-les-montres |accessdate=2022-01-18 |website=horlogerie-suisse.com |quote={{lang|fr|Par tradition ancestrale, les horlogers n’utilisent pas le millimètre mais la ligne pour désigner le diamètre d'encageage d'un mouvement.}} |trans-quote=By ancestral tradition, watchmakers do not use the millimeter but the line to designate the casing diameter of a movement |archive-date=2022-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121164847/http://www.horlogerie-suisse.com/horlomag/articles-horlogers/00199/foire-aux-questions-sur-l-horlogerie-et-les-montres |url-status=dead }}</ref>
▲In chemistry, L is used as a symbol for the [[Avogadro constant]].<ref name=iupac1996>H. P. Lehmann, X. Fuentes-Arderiu, and L. F. Bertello (1996): "Glossary of terms in quantities and units in Clinical Chemistry (IUPAC-IFCC Recommendations 1996)"; page 963, item "[https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/A00543 Avogadro constant]". ''Pure and Applied Chemistry'', volume 68, issue 4, pages 957–1000. {{doi|10.1351/pac199668040957}}</ref>
▲==Forms and variants==
▲{{redirect|ℓ|the azimuthal quantum number|Azimuthal quantum number}}
▲<!-- Serif l, sans-serif l and cursive ℓ are [[allograph]]s of the grapheme ⟨l⟩ so the {{char}} template has been chosen to isolate them for inspection (xref [[Use mention distinction]]). Note that the angle-bracket notation (⟨...⟩) is used to denote a [[grapheme]] – in this case the letter l, however written: it should not be used to denote a [[glyph]]. See also [[International Phonetic Alphabet#Brackets and transcription delimiters]].
▲-->
▲In most [[sans-serif]] typefaces, the lowercase letter ''ell'' {{angbr|l}}, written {{char|{{Sans-serif|l}}}}, may be difficult to distinguish from the uppercase letter "eye" {{angbr|[[I]]}}; in some [[serif]] typefaces, the [[glyph]] {{char|{{Serif|l}}}} may be confused with the glyph {{char|1}}, the digit ''[[1 (number)|one]]''. To avoid such confusion, some newer computer fonts (such as [[Trebuchet MS]]) have a [[finial (typography)|finial]], a curve to the right at the bottom of the lowercase letter ''ell''.
▲Another means of reducing such confusion is to use symbol {{char|ℓ}}, which is a [[cursive]], handwriting-style lowercase form of the letter "ell"; this form is seen in European road signs and advertisements. In Japan, for example, this is the symbol for the [[Litre|liter]]. (The [[International Committee for Weights and Measures]] recommends using {{char|{{serif|L}}}} or {{char|{{serif|l}}}} for the liter,<ref name="BIPM2006-brochure" /> without specifying a typeface.) In [[Unicode]], the cursive form is encoded as {{Unichar|2113|SCRIPT SMALL L}} from the "[[Letterlike Symbols (Unicode block)|letter-like symbols]]" block. In mathematical formulas, an italic form (''{{char|ℓ}}'') of the script ℓ is the norm. In addition, Unicode encodes an explicit symbol as {{Unichar|1D4C1|MATHEMATICAL SCRIPT SMALL L}}.<ref>[https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode15.1.0/ch22.pdf The Unicode Standard, Version 15.0, Chapter 22]</ref> In practice, since rendering in [[computer font]]s may vary dramatically, it is strongly recommended not to use the special Unicode symbols but rather to use the [[TeX]] syntax <span style="font-family:monospace"><NOWIKI><math>\ell</math></NOWIKI></span>, which renders as <math>\ell</math>.
▲Another solution, sometimes seen in [[Web typography]], uses a serif font for the lowercase letter ''ell'', such as {{char|{{Serif|l}}}}, in otherwise sans-serif text.
▲In the [[blackletter]] type used in England until the seventeenth century,<ref>{{Cite book|title=An introduction to the history of printing types; an illustrated summary of main stages in the development of type design from 1440 up to the present day: an aid to type face identification.|last=Dowding|first=Geoffrey|publisher=Wace|year=1962|location=Clerkenwell [London]|pages=5}}</ref>{{efn|Blackletter persisted in Germany until the early 1940s. See [[Antiqua–Fraktur dispute]]}} the letter L is rendered as <math>\mathfrak{L}</math>.
==Related characters==
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{{anchor|Codes for computing}}
==Other representations==
===Computing <span class="anchor" id="Computing codes"></span>===
{{charmap
| 004C | 006C | name1 = Latin Capital Letter L | name2 = Latin Small Letter L
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: <sup>1</sup> {{midsize|Also for encodings based on ASCII, including the DOS, Windows, ISO-8859 and Macintosh families of encodings.}}
===Other
{{Letter other reps
|NATO=Lima
| |||