Lea or lee?
lea is a noun meaning “An open field, meadow, pasture”; lee is a noun meaning “A protected cove or harbor, out of the wind”. They sound the same (/liː/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) lee is about 14 times as common as lea.
What is the difference between lea and lee?
| lea | lee | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | noun, adjective |
| Meaning | An open field, meadow, pasture Any of several measures of yarn; for linen, 300 yards (275 m); for cotton, 120 yards (110 m) A set of warp threads carried by a loop of the heddle | A protected cove or harbor, out of the wind The side of the ship away from the wind Facing away from the flow of a fluid, usually air |
| Example | 19th century, Alfred Tennyson, Circumstance Two children in two neighbor villages Playing mad pranks along the heathy leas | the lee of a mountain, an island, or a ship |
| Forms | leas | lees |
| Pronunciation | /liː/ /leɪ/ | /liː/ |
| In writing | 3.7 times per million words | 54 times per million words |
Sources: lea and lee in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of lea and lee
lea
- 1
An open field, meadow, pasture
19th century, Alfred Tennyson, Circumstance Two children in two neighbor villages Playing mad pranks along the heathy leas
- 2
Any of several measures of yarn; for linen, 300 yards (275 m); for cotton, 120 yards (110 m)
- 3
USInitialism of law enforcement agency
- 4
A set of warp threads carried by a loop of the heddle
- 5
Initialism of local education authority
- 6
IrelandInitialism of local electoral area
lee
- 1
A protected cove or harbor, out of the wind
- 2
Facing away from the flow of a fluid, usually air
lee side, lee shore, lee helm
- 3
The side of the ship away from the wind
- 4
A sheltered place, especially a place protected from the wind by some object; the side sheltered from the wind (see also leeside); shelter; protection
the lee of a mountain, an island, or a ship
- 5
Calm, peace
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, lea or lee?
lea appears 3.7 times per million words; lee 54 times per million words.
lea 3.7 times per million wordslee 54 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).