lose vs. loose
The spelling is the whole problem. English usually doubles a letter to lengthen a vowel, so "loose" reading as a long sound and "lose" as a short one is consistent — but it runs against the instinct that more letters means more emphasis. People write "loose" when they mean "lose" far more often than the reverse, probably because the doubled "o" looks more deliberate.
lose
A verb. To misplace something, to fail to win, or to be deprived of something.
- Try not to lose the receipt.
- We could lose the account if the deadline slips.
- You lose nothing by asking.
- He hates to lose an argument more than he likes to win one.
loose
An adjective meaning not tight, not fastened, or not precise. Occasionally a verb meaning to release.
- The handle came loose after a week.
- These are loose estimates, not final figures.
- She prefers loose-fitting clothes for long flights.
- The contract has loose language around termination. (Loose here means imprecise — the sense that matters most in professional writing.)
Why lose and loose get mixed up
One extra letter, a different sound, and a different part of speech. Lose is a verb: to misplace something, to stop having it, or to be beaten. Loose is almost always an adjective meaning not tight, not fastened, or free.
They are pronounced differently, which is the best way to keep them apart. Lose rhymes with choose and ends in a z sound. Loose rhymes with goose and ends in an s sound. If you say the sentence and hear a z, you want lose.
The extra o is also a handy picture: loose has room to spare, like a loose belt with slack in it.
Common mistakes
Don't loose your keys again.
✓Don't lose your keys again.
This is the verb, to misplace, and it rhymes with choose: lose.
There's a lose thread on your sleeve.
✓There's a loose thread on your sleeve.
Describing the thread as not fastened, and it rhymes with goose: loose.
If we loose this client, the quarter is in trouble.
✓If we lose this client, the quarter is in trouble.
To stop having something is the verb lose.
Quick way to remember
Count the letters against the meaning. "Lose" has lost an "o" — it is the word about losing things. If you can replace the word with "not tight" or "slack," you want "loose."
Questions
Is "let loose" correct?
Yes. "Let loose" and "break loose" use loose to mean free: the dog broke loose.
What is the verb for making something less tight?
Loosen: "loosen the lid". Loose can also be a verb in older or formal phrases ("loose an arrow"), but loosen is what you want in everyday writing.