Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

leal

/liːl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.37 in modern English

Syllables: leal
IPA: /liːl/

4

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

adj

name

A city and village in North Dakota.

Example Sentences

"Mr Toots, like the leal and trusty soul he was, stopped the cabriolet in a twinkling, and told Susan Nipper of his commission, at which she cried more than before."
"We thank you for the pure white fire of his goodness, for the red sword of justice in his hand, for the love he bears his leal people."
"The lealest lover time can show, / Doomed for a lady-love to languish, / Among these solitudes doth go, / A prey to every kind of anguish."

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English leel, lel, borrowed from Anglo-Norman leal and Old French leial, from Latin lēgālis. Doublet of loyal and legal.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: leel, leal, leial, lēgālis

Inflected Forms

lealer (comparative) lealest (superlative)

Derived Forms

leally lealness unleal

Phrases

Land of the Leal

Rhymes With

feel real deal we'll steel appeal wheel meal ideal reveal steal seal

Questions

How do you pronounce leal?: The recorded pronunciation is /liːl/.
What does leal mean?: Loyal, honest.
Where does leal come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce leal

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “leal”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/liːl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “leal”.
Repeat and practice — Say “leal” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.