Loose or lose – which one is correct?

Non-native English speakers often confuse words loose and lose. Hardly surprising, considering the fact that loose and lose look similar and, to be fair, they are easy to confuse. Loose or lose – which one should you use, depending on the situation? This article will diminish any doubts you might have about the proper usage of those two words.

Loose or lose? What’s the meaning of loose?

Loose is an adjective. It means that something isn’t firmly fastened or held in one place. Also, loose things are not attached to anything else. The next meaning is that you can keep your hair loose – not tied back.

That’s not all! There is also a meaning that refers to clothes. In this case, loose means not tight, not fitting closely to the body. We can confidently use the word loose in the context of a translation of the poem or an adaptation of the novel that are not exact or not tightly controlled.

You may be surprised to learn that loose can be a verb, too. To loose is to express emotions very freely; to fire weapons; to allow something extreme to happen and affect somewhere; to set an animal free with intent to attack someone. Summing up, loose is the correct form.

Loose or lose? What’s the meaning of lose?

Lose is a verb. There are several meanings of this verb. Firstly, to lose is not to win, to fail. Secondly, to lose is to become unable to find someone or something. Thirdly, to lose is to be deprived of something. It turns out that there is no incorrect form here!

Loose or lose – what’s the difference?

Some people may think that there is only a small difference between loose and lose in the number of „o” letter. In fact, the first one is a word with double „o”. However, after reading the definitions of loose and lose we know very well that their meanings are completely different. It’s worth noting that loose ends in the /s/ sound, while lose ends in the /z/ sound. Both loose and lose use the vowel sound /u/. In one sense they are similar to each other.

Loose or lose – it’s all clear! Examples of lose in English songs

We have decided to give some examples of the use of the word lose in… songs. Why so? Because we can often hear about unhappy love, losing love… Such a life!