Grammar

lose / loose

One extra O turns a verb into an adjective.

  • Don’t loose your badge.

    Don’t lose your badge.

    The verb has one O. Loose rhymes with goose.

  • The screw came lose.

    The screw came loose.

    Not tight. Two Os.

The sound test

Loose rhymes with goose—a hard S. Lose rhymes with booze—a Z sound.

Say the sentence out loud. If you hear a Z, one O. If you hear an S, two.

Why it happens

English is inconsistent here and your instinct is reasonable: choose and goose look alike and sound different. There’s no rule to derive, only the pair to memorise. One O for losing things, two for things that wobble.

Now go tighten something.