# How to pronounce ℓ? Is there any other way than 'ell'? [closed]

Reading aloud from a graph theory textbook, I encountered the letter ℓ. I assume that most people simply pronounce it 'ell'. However, is there any other way to pronounce it?

-

## closed as primarily opinion-based by Najib Idrissi, G. Sassatelli, Claude Leibovici, Grigory M, H. R.Dec 14 '15 at 10:40

Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

\mathfrak{l} should do the job – user9413 Jul 18 '11 at 14:37
No, just $\ell$ \ell. That is the ell. – Jonas Teuwen Jul 18 '11 at 14:38
If you must distinguish it from other ells, you can specify it is a lower-case, curly ell. But like Jonas said, it is just an ell. – Willie Wong Jul 18 '11 at 14:51

For the space $\ell^p$, I say "little ell-p." That is what the Banach Space Cadets at the University of Texas called in when I was a grad student.

-
Are there other chapters of the Banach Space Cadets elsewhere? Where do I sign up? Would I get to travel to C-stars? :) – Zev Chonoles Jul 18 '11 at 15:06
$\ell$-pun-o. I think this transformation could be degenerate. – ncmathsadist Jul 18 '11 at 22:54

I suppose you could pronounce it any way you like, but why would you want to?

The symbol $\ell$ is just a variant form of the lowercase L, drawn in a script style to distinguish it from the number 1 and uppercase I. I guess you could call it "script ell" if you want to be specific.

(BTW, the official name of the Unicode "letterlike symbol" character ℓ (U+2113) is "Script Small L".)

-