Practice
Lose or loose: choose the right verb or adjective
Sign in to saveOne missing letter can change a message completely. If your shoe is loose, it needs tightening. If you lose your shoe, you cannot find it.
Choose lose as a verb for no longer having, winning, or keeping something, and loose as an adjective for something that is not tight, fixed, or controlled.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
lose / loose /luːz/ /luːs/
The short answer
Use lose for an action or result: you lose keys, a game, or your way. Use loose for a condition: a button, wire, or shirt can be loose.
Keep your passport in a safe pocket so you do not lose it while you travel.
Why it works: Lose is the action of no longer having the passport or knowing where it is.
4 more examples
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Our team will lose the match if it stops defending carefully.
Lose means fail to win the match.
Not this:One player's
loose shoelacemade running uncomfortable. What changes: Loose describes a shoelace that is not tied tightly. -
Do not lose the receipt before you return the jacket.
The sentence asks you to keep the receipt and know where it is.
Not this:The jacket has a
loose buttonnear the cuff. What changes: Loose describes a button that is not firmly attached. -
She can lose her balance on the wet path if she walks too quickly.
Lose is used in this fixed expression for no longer keeping physical control.
Not this:He wore
a loose coatover his sweater on the cool evening. What changes: Loose describes clothing with plenty of space rather than a tight fit. -
You may lose time if you start the form without reading the instructions.
Lose time means waste time or use time without making useful progress.
Not this:Please pick up the
loose coinsbefore they roll under the table. What changes: Loose describes coins that are separate and not kept in a container.
Read the full guide
Ask two questions. Is someone no longer keeping, finding, or winning something? Choose lose. Is an object not tight or firmly attached? Choose loose. The grammar of the sentence usually makes the answer clear: after to, can, will, or do not, you will often need the verb lose. Before a noun or after be, you may need the adjective loose.
Choose lose for no longer having something
Lose is a verb. Use it when a person no longer has something, cannot find it, or fails to keep it. It often follows words such as can, might, will, do not, or did not.
I always write my phone number inside my notebook because I do not want to lose it.
The speaker is talking about keeping the notebook, so the verb lose is needed.
Choose a word: Take a photo of the map so you do not ___ your way.
Choose lose. Lose your way means become unable to find the correct route.
Choose lose when a person fails to win
You also lose a game, contest, argument, or competition when you do not win. The subject may be one person, a team, or a side in a contest.
The chess player will lose the game if she ignores the attack on her king.
The sentence is about the result of a game. It does not describe something that is not tight.
We lost the final by one point, but we played well.
Choose loose for something that is not tight
Loose is usually an adjective. Put it before a noun or after be when an object is not tight, firmly attached, or held in place. Check objects such as shoes, buttons, lids, wires, and clothing.
The cap is loose, so the water bottle may leak into your bag.
Loose describes the cap's condition. It can move because it is not tightly closed.
Choose a word: These trousers are too ___ around the waist.
Choose loose. The trousers are not tight around the waist.
Use the sentence position as a clue
Grammar can help before you even think about the meaning. A base verb is needed after to or can: to lose, can lose. An adjective can come before a noun: a loose cable. An adjective can also follow be: the cable is loose.
Please tighten the loose screw before you use the chair.
You could lose the screw if you leave it on the floor.
The first sentence describes the screw. The second sentence describes the action of no longer having it.
Remember the past form of lose
The past tense and past participle of lose are lost. Do not add -ed to make loosed when you mean no longer having something. Use lost for an earlier result and have lost for a result that matters now.
Mina lost her library card last week and asked for a new one.
Lost is the past form of lose. The sentence says when the card was no longer available to Mina.
Complete the sentence: I have ___ my ticket, so I cannot enter the hall.
Use lost. It is the past participle of lose.
Check spelling and sound before you send a message
Both words begin with the same long vowel sound, but their last sounds differ. Say /luːz/ for lose and /luːs/ for loose. In writing, remember that loose has an extra o. A quick final check prevents a common spelling error in messages, schoolwork, and applications.
The strap is loose, but I do not want to lose the bag.
The first word describes the strap. The second word describes the risk of no longer having the bag.
Write a sentence that uses loose for clothing and lose for an item you carry.
One possible answer is: My loose jacket has deep pockets, so I will not lose my gloves.
Before you go
Remember this
Use lose when someone no longer has, finds, keeps, or wins something. Use loose when something is not tight, attached, or controlled. Compare: Do not lose the key. The key is loose in the lock. The meanings, grammar, spelling, and final sounds are different.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Lose or loose: choose the right verb or adjective"
What is the main difference between lose and loose?
Lose is a verb for no longer having, finding, keeping, or winning something. Loose is usually an adjective for something that is not tight or firmly attached. For example, you can lose a receipt, while a jacket can have a loose button.
Keep your passport in a safe pocket so you do not lose it while you travel.
How do I remember the spelling of lose and loose?
Loose has two o letters, which can help you remember that it describes something with extra space or a relaxed fit. Lose has one o and is the verb for an action or result, such as losing a passport or a game.
The pocket is loose, so check that the passport cannot slip out.
Is lost the past tense of lose?
Yes. Use lost for the past tense and past participle of lose. You can say that someone lost a library card last week or has lost a ticket. Do not use loosed when you mean that a person no longer has something.
Our team will lose the match if it stops defending carefully.
Can loose come after the verb be?
Yes. Loose can follow be when it describes the condition of an object. You can say that a pocket is loose or that a cap is loose. The word tells the reader that the object is not tight or firmly fixed.
One player's loose shoelace made running uncomfortable.
Do lose and loose sound the same?
No. Both words begin with the vowel sound /uː/, but lose ends in /z/ and loose ends in /s/. Say lose like /luːz/ and loose like /luːs/. Listening for the final sound can help when you speak.
Do not lose the receipt before you return the jacket.