Look-alike words

Loose vs. Lose

Loose is usually an adjective meaning not tight or not fastened, and it rhymes with goose. Lose is a verb meaning to misplace, fail to keep or fail to win, and it rhymes with shoes.

Word	Part of speech	Meaning
loose	adjective	not tight, firm or fastened; free to move around
lose	verb	to misplace something, fail to keep it, or be beaten in a game

Loose

adjective: not tight, firm or fastened; free to move around

One of the screws on the chair is loose.
Wear loose clothing for the yoga class.

Lose

verb: to misplace something, fail to keep it, or be beaten in a game

I always lose my sunglasses at the beach.
Our team lost the final by one point.

How to remember the difference

Lose lost an O. Loose kept both of its O's, like a goose that got loose.

Good to know

Loose can also be a verb meaning to set free (loose the dogs), but that use is rare. The everyday verb for making something less tight is loosen.

Spot the mistake

Don't ~~loose~~ lose your ticket before the show.
Correct: Don't lose your ticket before the show.
My front tooth is ~~lose.~~ loose.
Correct: My front tooth is loose.

Check yourself

Pick the word that fits each sentence.

1. If we this game, we're out of the tournament.

2. The dog got and ran across the park.