Lee or leigh?
lee is a noun meaning “A protected cove or harbor, out of the wind”; leigh is a suffix meaning “A suffix meaning “meadow” present in various given names and toponyms of Old…”. They sound the same (/liː/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) lee is about 9.5 times as common as leigh.
What is the difference between lee and leigh?
| lee | leigh | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, adjective | noun, suffix |
| Meaning | 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 | A suffix meaning “meadow” present in various given names and toponyms of Old English origin |
| Example | the lee of a mountain, an island, or a ship | none recorded |
| Forms | lees | leighs, lea, ley |
| Pronunciation | /liː/ | /ˈliː/ [ˈlɪi̯] |
| In writing | 54 times per million words | 5.6 times per million words |
Sources: lee and leigh 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 lee and leigh
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
leigh
- 1
A suffix meaning “meadow” present in various given names and toponyms of Old English origin
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, lee or leigh?
lee appears 54 times per million words; leigh 5.6 times per million words.
lee 54 times per million wordsleigh 5.6 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).