Loose versus Lose

“Loose” versus “lose”: these two are so misused it drives me nuts. Seriously, I recently saw someone make this mistake in ballotpedia and came across “a mind is a terrible thing to loose” somewhere else (it might’ve been funny if it’d been deliberate). To fix this, let’s talk about the difference between “loose” and “lose” and when to use which one.

The Difference Between “Loose” and “Lose”

There seem to be 2 scenarios where people have problems with these words:

1. They get them mixed up in both writing and speech.
2. They use them correctly with speech but don’t know which spelling goes with which word.

I’m going to cover each option, so if your problem is spelling, you can skip to the second section. If you have trouble with writing and speech, read both.

“Loose” and “Lose” Definitions

Although they’re spelled similarly, the meaning of the two words is not the same. Here’s the difference:

• Loose (Rhymes with “goose”) – adj. not tight; detachable; not strict; free
• Lose (Rhymes with “news”) – v. to be deprived of or cease to have; misplace

Once you have these down, you can start thinking about secondary definitions

Loose and Lose Examples

1. If your dog is loose, it’s running around without a leash or fence.
2. If you lose your dog, you don’t know where it is.
3. “You lose!” means that the person you’re talking to lost the competition (whatever it was).
4. “Got any loose change?” is asking whether you have any coins (most likely that you’re willing to give the speaker).
5.  “Those kids are making me lose my mind!” Due to your kids’ shenanigans, you’re going crazy: your sanity will be lost.
6. “Loose the kracken!” In this case, “loose” means “free” or “release.” It’s kinda archaic, but you hear it every once in a while.

Spelling Tips and Tricks

If you can’t remember which sound goes with which spelling, this section is for you. I’m going to give you as many tips and tricks as I can think of for remembering which is which.

Remember the Rhymes

“Loose” rhymes with “goose,” and “lose” rhymes with “news.” The two “o”s match between “goose” and “loose,” but don’t try to think of other rhyming words (or you’ll break this one).

Use the “O”s as a Clue

Associating the meaning with the reason for the spelling can be very useful in telling them apart. In this case, the only difference is the “o”s, so that’s the focus.

• “Loose” is very loose with its “o”s (Like someone who is loose with money). So the one that means free is very free with its “o”s.
• “Lose” lost an “o.” So the one that means to misplace or be deprived of has misplaced an “o.”

Focus on “Lost”

While people get “lose” and “loose” confused, they generally know what “lost” means and how to spell it. Well, “lost” goes with “lose.” If you lose something, it becomes lost. If associating the two helps you remember the meaning of “lose,” go for it.

Use the Part of Speech

This one won’t be popular with everyone, but one of these words is an adjective (loose) while the other is a verb (lose). That means that if you’re describing a noun, you want “loose,” and if it’s the action, you want “lose.”

1 Exception

The only time “loose” is used as a verb is when you’re using that archaic “free” definition (“Loose the dogs!” – as in “release the dogs”). That is the only time, and, honestly, it’s not appropriate to that many situations. Other than this exception, if you want a verb, use “lose.”

Any Questions?

If any of this isn’t clear, or you have a follow-up question, please, ask in the comments.