Lose or loose: which is correct?
Correct
lose (verb: to misplace, to be defeated) / loose (adjective: not tight)
Avoid
loose (for the verb: "don't loose your keys")
Avoid
lose (for "not tight")
Summary
Correct: lose (verb: to misplace, to be defeated) / loose (adjective: not tight) — Avoid: loose (for the verb: "don't loose your keys") / lose (for "not tight"). Lose = to misplace something or fail to win; loose = not firmly fixed, not tight.
- Part of speech
- verb / adjective
- Source
- Merriam-Webster
Why
Merriam-Webster: lose (one o) is a verb that rhymes with choose; loose (two o's) is an adjective that rhymes with goose. Adding the second o turns the verb into the adjective.
Examples
- Try not to lose the receipt.
- The screw on the hinge is loose.
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- Merriam-Webster / Oxford
- Spelling authority
- Merriam-Webster · Oxford English Dictionary / Oxford spelling · SCOWL
- Commonly confused and non-standard forms
- 64
- Dictionary
- Hunspell en_US / en_GB / en_AU / en_CA · Dictionary license: MIT AND BSD (SCOWL combined licence)