last
use past in phrases such as 'the past two months' and 'over the past year'

leant, leapt, learnt

le Carré, John

legendary
wrongly considered to be the superlative of 'famous'. King Arthur is legendary, Pelé's goals are the stuff of football legend. More often than not, the word is redundant and should be avoided

less than
unacceptable before plural (fewer)

Liberal Democrats
Lib Dems thereafter

licence
(noun); license (verb).
If in doubt, think about advice/advise

linchpin

Lloyd's underwriters;
Lloyds TSB bank

London
Remember that most of our readers do not live and work in London. Say Kensington, west London, not just Kensington

lottery, the

loyalist
if not specific party (see unionist). The same goes for republicans and nationalists

Luxembourg
-burgers

Lyon

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