BBC Learning English

Ask about English

23rd February 2010
lose / loose

A question from Disha in India:

Would you please tell me the difference between lose and loose? Thank you.

Amy Lightfoot answers:

Hello Disha. Im very glad that youve asked this question because people make mistakes
with these words ALL THE TIME. And I dont just mean people who are studying English as
a foreign language, but even native speakers who have been using the language all their lives.
In fact, I would even go as far as to say that this is one of the most common spelling mistakes
there is . So lets have a look at them there are a number of important differences.

First lets take lose [L-O-S-E]. This a verb, so it refers to an action, or something we do. If
you lose something it means that you no longer have it and you, usually, dont know where it
has gone. Lets listen to these examples:

Ive lost my keys.

Try not to lose your temper.
Im always losing my way (meaning I have trouble finding places as I take the wrong roads)
He recently lost his wife (meaning his wife recently died)
She feels like shes losing her mind (meaning she feels like shes going crazy)

On the other hand, loose [L-O-O-S-E] is an adjective, so it describes something. It is used

when we want to say that something is the opposite of 'tight' or is not fixed, although there are
a few expressions which are less literal. Have a listen to these:

The knot was a bit loose so the horse escaped.

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I prefer to wear my hair loose, rather than tied up.
She always wears very loose clothing.
Hes got a bit of a loose tongue (meaning he likes to talk and may not be very good at keeping
secrets)
The thief is on the loose (he/she hasnt been caught)
Have you got any loose change? (meaning coins that are not worth a lot of money, usually in
your pocket)

Note that a very common place to make mistakes is when using the ing form of the verb 'to
lose' people often put a double 'o' here. Be careful not to do this, because theres no such
word as 'loosing'.

Hopefully this clears up the confusion you were having with this pair of words as you can
see they really are quite different. Not only are the parts of speech and meanings different, but
also the pronunciation. LOOS and LOOZ. Try saying these a few times. Thanks for
writing in!

___________________________________________________________________________

Amy Lightfoot started out doing a degree in psychology in 1995 and quickly became
interested in the processes involved in learning languages. She now has a Trinity CertTESOL,
DELTA and MA in English Language Teaching. She has taught English and worked on
teacher training projects in the UK, Portugal, India, Afghanistan and Bhutan. She is currently
working as a freelance materials writer and language trainer in Somerset, England.

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