You May Have a Screw Loose, but Try Not to Lose Your Marbles (lose and loose)

Just one letter causes the confusion involving the words "lose" and "loose." That
pesky extra "o" keeps showing up where it doesn't belong! Most errors are made when people write "loose" when they think they're writing "lose."


About "loose": It's an adjective with many meanings, including unrestrained, free,
unfettered, unbound, and unconstrained. It's the opposite of tight, bound, and
fastened tightly. "Loose" rhymes with moose, noose, caboose, papoose, and vamoose, and it is used in such expressions as "on the loose," "let loose," and "hang loose." It can even denote moral decadence, as in "loose woman." (Are there any loose men?) The cliche "loose as a goose" can help you remember the spelling.


About "lose":  It's a verb that means to misplace, fail to keep, and fail to win. You
can lose your keys, your money, your mind, your temper, your job, as well as
weight, a game, or an opportunity. It rhymes with blues, bruise, chews, snooze,
and choose. The fact that "lose" rhymes with "choose" probably explains the addition of a second "o." The only word I can think of with a spelling and pronunciation that are similar to "lose" is "whose."

A way to remember "lose" is to think of it as a four-letter word. Its past-tense form, "lost," and the related noun "loss" also have four letters.



The following sentences use both words correctly:
                  If you LOSE weight too fast, you'll have LOOSE skin.
                  A LOOSE connection could cause you to LOSE your power.
                  You can LOSE your LOOSE change in the sofa cushions.
                  She may LOSE her dog if she continues to let him run LOOSE.
                  The child will LOSE his LOOSE tooth.