The term Lieutenant Governor denotes a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. In the American and many Commonwealth systems, lieutenant governors are usually deputy heads of state. In Canada, however, a lieutenant governor is the de facto head of state who represents the sovereign to a provincial government, just as the governor general represents the sovereign to the federal government.

In federal states, the term "lieutenant governor" is never used at federal level. Rather, federal governments typically have "vice" or "deputy" presidents, or deputy governors general.

The term is generally pronounced "loo-ten-ant" in the United States but "lef-ten-ant" in most Commonwealth countries.