k
avoid for 1,000 except in direct quotes
kaftan, but cagoule
Kathmandu
Kellogg's Corn Flakes, but cornflakes (generic)
kerosene
is American for paraffin
Kfor
The Nato-led force in Kosovo (not KFOR).
It is short for Kosovo Force, not Kosovo Protection Force.
Khartoum
Khmer Rouge
The name of a Cambodian faction. A Khmer is a Cambodian.
kick-off (noun), but to kick off
kick-start (hyphenate, noun or verb)
kilogram
(not kilogramme)
kilometres per hour correct abbreviation is km/h rather
than kph
kilowatt-hour correct abbreviation is kWh.
kitchen
cabinet
lower case cabinet in this informal context
kneejerk (reaction etc), no hyphen; but beware of overuse
knockout (noun), but to knock out
knowhow
(one word as noun)
knowledgeable
Koran, the (capital, like the Bible)
Korean names
Unlike Chinese, take all initial capitals
but no hyphens, e.g., Roh Tae Woo
Kosovo,
Kosovan
do not use Kosova, Kosovar
kowtow (no hyphen)
Ku
Klux Klan
(no longer use hyphens)
Back to top
Labour Party (in UK)
lady,
ladies prefer to write woman, women
Lagos is not the capital of Nigeria; Abuja is
laissez faire
Lake District
Do not include Lake when the name contains its equivalent; thus
Windermere, Derwent Water, but Lake Bassenthwaite.
lambast (not lambaste)
lamé (to distinguish it from lame)
lamppost (no hyphen)
Land Rover (no hyphen); similarly Range Rover
landmine (no hyphen)
landslide (political)
landslip (earth)
languor, languorous (not -our)
laptop (computer), no hyphen
largesse (not largess)
last,
past
Last should not be used as a synonym of latest; “the last few days”
means the final few days; “the past few days” means the most recent
few days
Last
Post, like
Reveille, is sounded, not played
Latin
Be
sparing in its use.
latitude,
longitude write 45º 32'N, 40º 17'W, etc.
launch pad (two words)
launderette
(not laundrette)
law lords, law officers (lower case)
lawnmower
(one word)
lay, lie
A person lays a carpet (transitive verb)
But a person lies on a carpet (intransitive). NEVER confuse.
lay-by, but layout and layoff
lay waste
Means to devastate or destroy, so it does not need a following
"to".
Goats can lay waste a field, not lay waste to a field.
lean,
leap
Past tenses leant, leapt (not leaned, leaped)
Leaning Tower of Pisa (note caps)
Lea River, but Lee Valley Regional Park Authority etc
learnt
(past tense and past participle of learn);
learned (adjective, as in scholarly)
Left,
the
Capitalise in the political context when referring to a group of
like-minded individuals, e.g., “The Left added to Tony Blair's
worries”; but lower case in “the party swung to the left”.
When the Left is qualified, keep the adjective lower case, e.g., the hard
Left, the far Left.
Also, the left wing, left-wing contenders, leftwingers.
legendary avoid its clichéd use
legionella, listeria, salmonella are all bacteria, not
viruses
legionnaires' disease
Legion of Honour or Légion d'honneur;
either form is acceptable, according to context
legroom (one word), also elbowroom, headroom
leitmotiv, prefer to leitmotif
Leonardo
da Vinci
At second mention always Leonardo, never da Vinci.
leper
Do not use as a metaphor or as a form of abuse.
lèse-majesté (treason, or insult to a monarch)
less in quantity, fewer in number; see fewer
lesser
Opposite to greater (e.g., the lesser evil); not to be used as a synonym
of less.
letter bomb (only hyphenate in adjectival use)
letterbox, postbox (no hyphens)
leukaemia
liaison, liaise
The word link would often be better.
The verb to liaise has forced its way into the language; however, use
sparingly and only in its correct sense - to establish co-operation, to
act as a link with - not as a synonym of meet or talk.
Liberal Democrats
Lib Dems is an acceptable alternative. But do not shorten simply to
Liberals.
licence (noun), license (verb)
But
beware of licensee (noun), licensed, licensing.
lifeguard (on a beach)
Life Guardsman (on a horse)
lifelong (one word as adjective)
liferaft (one word), as lifeboat, lifebelt,
etc
lifesize(d) (no hyphen)
lift-off (spacecraft etc), as take-off (hyphenated)
lightning (as in electrical storm)
lightening (as in making lighter)
light-year
like
Do not use as a synonym of such as (e.g., say “cities such as Manchester
are ambitious”, not “cities like Manchester ... ”); nor as a synonym
of as if (e.g., say “he looks as if he is succeeding”, not “he looks
like he is succeeding”).
likeable
lily of the valley
linchpin (not lynchpin)
line-up (noun), but to line up (verb)
liquefy
(not liquify)
But liquidate
liquorice,
not the American licorice
literally
Avoid as expression of emphasis; “he literally exploded with anger” is
absurd.
living room (no hyphen, as dining room, etc.)
loan
is a noun (i.e., never say “I loaned him £20” etc); the verb is
lend/lent
loathe (verb)
loath (adjective; not loth)
local government
Capitalise councils when full title, e.g., Watford Borough Council,
Newtown District Council (thereafter the council); but lower case when
title is not in full, e.g., Watford council.
lochs in Scotland, loughs in Ireland
lockout (in industrial disputes, etc.), one word; but to
lock out
London
Capitalise the East End and the West End
of London, and now also North London, South London, East London and
West London, Central London, Inner London.
But lower case southeast London, southwest London, etc.
London
Transport
has been rebranded as Transport for London (abbreviate TfL), not Transport
in London.
London Zoo
longstanding
lookout (noun, no hyphen)
Lord Advocate
Lord Chancellor's Department
Lord Mayor (capitals)
As in Lord Mayor of London, Birmingham, etc.
Thereafter, the lord mayor; the same applies to Mayor of Guildford, etc.
loss-maker, loss-making
loveable takes the midde “e”, as likeable
lowbrow
(as highbrow)
Lower House, Upper House (of Parliament).
low-key
loyalist
see Ireland
Ltd
can usually be dropped from company names (as can plc)
lullaby (not -bye)
lumbar, as in the lower back (e.g., lumbar puncture)
lumber as in junk furniture, lumberjacks, or (verbally) moving
clumsily about, etc.
Luxembourg (not -burg)
The inhabitants should be called Mr, Mrs, etc.
-lyse
the style is analyse, paralyse, etc. (not -ize); see -ise, -isation
Back to top