Know the Difference Between Lose and Loose
Given the almost identical spelling of "lose" and "loose," it's not surprising that these are two commonly misused words. In fact, many people use the word loose when they mean lose, and vice versa, potentially creating confusion for the reader. If you aren't sure about which to use, this article has some quick tips to help you remember the difference.
Contents
Steps
Knowing the Difference Between Lose and Loose
- Know the definitions of these words. The first step in differentiating between these two words is to know what they mean. While these words do have some archaic usages, such as loose being used as a verb ("he loosed an arrow"), focus on the most common meanings of these words.
- Lose: verb. To no longer have or fail to keep, or to suffer from a loss (compare to lost. using "o")
- Loose: adjective. Unbound, unattached; free from constraint; not tight (compare to loosened, using "oo").
- Know how to pronounce these words correctly. Good pronunciation will avoid confusion for your listeners.
- In most standard English pronunciation, Lose is pronounced "looz."
- In most standard English pronunciation, Loose is pronounced "loos."
- Understand when to use lose. Because lose is a verb, you will use it when describing something that you or someone else does. Remembering that lose is the opposite of win, which is also a verb, may help you.
- For example, if you're forgetful, you might say that "I lose my phone all the time." Losing is an action that you do; it isn't describing a quality of something.
- When you have "misplaced an object or person from your possession" or are "close to defeat in a competition," use lose.
- Understand when to use loose. Because loose is an adjective, you will use it to describe a quality of someone or something (but not something that someone does).
- For example, if you have recently lost weight, you might say that "All my clothes are too loose." Loose is describing something about your clothes, but not an action that they do.
- When something "has free movement and is not restricted by restraints," use loose.
- Know how to verify your usage. Think about the grammatical functions of these words to test whether you have used the correct word. Replacing the word with another form of that word may help you determine proper usage.
- Replace lose with lost to see if the idea still makes sense:
- Correct: "I always lose my cell phone" -- a lost phone makes sense.
- Correct: "I think Bob is about to lose the race" -- a lost race makes sense.
- Incorrect: "Mary likes to wear her hair lose and not in a ponytail" -- lost hair isn't what you're talking about and doesn't make sense here.
- Replace loose with loosened to see if the idea still makes sense:
- Incorrect: "I always loose my cell phone" -- a loosened phone doesn't make sense.
- Incorrect: "I think Bob is about to loose the race" -- a loosened race doesn't make sense.
- Correct: "Mary likes her hair loose and not in a ponytail" -- loosened hair does make sense.
- Replace lose with lost to see if the idea still makes sense:
- Think of a little trick to help you remember the spelling. When it comes to writing down the right word, try to remember that:
"Lose has lost an o" (when lost it's past tense); that way you'll remember both its meaning and its spelling!- You could also try remembering the spelling with a mnemonic, such as "If my shoes are too loose, I will lose the race."
Usage Cheat Sheet
Doc:Lose Loose
Tips
- Loose is often misused for lose, but strangely enough, not the other way around, since the sound of "oo" is in "lose," too.
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