Lose vs. Loose

The field next to the creche

The Grammar Nazi is coming out in me today. I have seen this error one too many times and I don't want you, dear reader, to be a part of the bunch that causes inner Grammar Nazis everywhere to rise in protest of your (innocent) trespass of written usage.

Lose means to misplace. It also means the opposite of "to win."

"I can't give away my books; they're too good to lose."
"If you don't put your keys in the same spot every day, you might lose them."
"Practice hard so you don't lose the competition."
"I don't want my team to lose the championship."

Loose means "not tight."

"Can you wait for a second? My shoestring is loose."
"His parents never let him hang out with friends who had loose morals."
"Your tie and your belt both look too loose. Please don't dress sloppily."

The same thing holds true for losing vs. loosing.

"After losing 100 pounds, all her clothes were too loose."
"I am loosing the strap on my sandals because they're too tight on my feet."

Many people make the mistake of hearing the "oo" sound in lose, and putting in 2 o's when they write it. Spell check doesn't tell them that this is incorrect, because "loose" is also a word. But there is a pronunciation difference. You would never SAY one for the other--so don't write one for the other.

Thank you. The Grammar Nazi is retiring for the time being.