Basic Guidelines For English Spellings
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Loose and lose are two completely distinct words, with different meanings and pronunciations. Below is a quick reference table outlining the differences between lose and loose:
Lose | Loose | |
pronunciation | rhymes with booze | rhymes with goose |
verb | ✓ | ✓ |
verb forms | lose; losing; lost | loose; loosing; loosed |
main verb meaning | to be unable to find or keep something | to release something |
adjective | ✗ | ✓ |
adjective forms | - | looser; loosest |
Noun* | ✗ | ✓ |
*Note: the Oxford English Dictionary does have entries for ‘lose’ as a noun (one meaning ‘an instance of losing’, the other ‘praise; renown’), but neither is listed in our dictionaries of current English.