In this letter, a yellow-emitting Sr3SiO5:Ce3+,Li+ phosphor is reported. Through transitions of 5d -> 4f (F-2(7/2) and F-2(5/2)) in Ce3+, the phosphor showed a very broad and strong yellow emission under near ultraviolet (UV) or blue light excitation. The energy levels of Ce3+ in Sr3SiO5 were suggested from its absorption and excitation spectra. White light could be obtained by combining this phosphor with 460 or 405 nm light-emitting diodes (LEDs) [(x,y)=(0.3086,0.3167) or (0.3173, 0.3103)]. Additionally, a yellow LED was fabricated using a near-UV LED (380 nm chip) with Sr3SiO5:Ce3+,Li+. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.