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What's the thing with "lose" & "loose"?
Main Post:
I've been learning English for quite some time now, but still can't seem to get this particular thing right. I frequently encounter the word "loose" being used instead of "lose". Now, I know that the word "loose" can be used as a verb ("to loose" = "to set free"), however, I've never spotted "loose" being used instead of "lose" in older pieces like "The Lord of The Rings" or "Nineteen Eighty Four", even though it happens pretty regularly on the Internet. If I remember this correctly, I even saw some corporate account use "loose" like that on Twitter. Is it just how language evolved overtime? Is it an appropriate substitution used to avoid tautology? I'd be extremely grateful if you could finally clear things up for me!
P.S.: Any critique of my grammar/spelling/sentence structure and overall English is also widely appreciated!
Edit: I'm half asleep right now so my brain completely mixed up "Nineteen Eighty Four" and "Nineteen Sixty Four". Oops.
Top Comment: Is it just how language evolved overtime? Yes. Errors repeated often enough become correct. However, just like "your" and "you're", "lose" and "loose" are still very distinct, and you're friends will loose respect for you if your too lose with your spellings 😁.
Why does everyone think "lose" is spelt as "loose?"
Main Post:
The number of times I see, for example, "John loses the game" as "John looses the game" makes me want to scream. Why do I see SO many people mess this up?
Top Comment: lose contains the oo sound so people forget it's spelled like bose rose chose nose loose is also a real word so it doesn't look as wrong when you see it.
Why do so many people spell Lose, Loose.
Main Post:
It is mildly infuriating
Lose means you’ve lost something or someone.
Loose means something is not as fitting or as tight as it should be.
Over the past few months I’ve seen so many people do this and I thought I was going insane.
Top Comment: And use then when they mean than?!
Why do so many people think lose is spelt loose?
Main Post:
It's shocking the amount of adults who do this
Top Comment:
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Lose vs Loose: What is the cause of the Reddit confusion?
Main Post:
Did schools start teaching that “lose” and “loose” are synonyms after 1996?
Seriously, I’m really confused.🥺
Top Comment: I have a ton of pet peeves like this. Don’t get me started.
Loose or Lose?
Main Post:
OFF-TOPIC POST - HOLY YAP INCOMING
I think we can all agree that most of us have at least encountered someone who uses "Loose" instead of "Lose." Or you may have been the one using it wrong. Let's just go off-topic for a moment and learn how to use these words properly.
Lose is a verb that could either mean "go out of one's possession" or "to experience defeat."
Examples of using this word in a sentence:
- I could lose my skill if I use it too early. — Vigilante
- We lose. — Said no Mafia42 player ever
Loose, on the other hand, can be used on many other situations, but the most common uses of it is describe something that is "not securely fastened"/"not fit" (adjective) and "to be set free from restraint" (verb).
Examples of using this word in a sentence:
- This screw is too loose, the shelf might break at any moment.
- I have been loosed from my chains.
Here, we also have the past tense of "Lose" which is "Lost," so you can also say "We lost."
Now that you know how to use these two words, it's time to use them in-game.
Top Comment: We ain't winning, gg
Are people intentionally using loose instead of lose?
Main Post:
I see this everywhere now. 90% of the posts I see on Reddit and at work have people using “loose” instead of “lose.”
For example: I’m loosing my mind trying to figure out why.
Top Comment: I think they really don’t know better, or at the least don’t care to figure it out.
Loose Vs. Lose
Main Post:
I have been seeing this a lot on both Reddit and elsewhere on the web recently. Can anyone explain why this is happening? Is it just poor education, laziness, or both?
Top Comment:
Perhaps these people have been reading too much Shakespeare:
a1616 Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) v. v. 218 This deceit looses the name of craft.
a1616 Taming of the Shrew (1623) Induct. ii. 98 Thou shalt not loose by it.
1600 Midsummer Night's Dream i. i. 114 Being ouer full of selfe affaires, My minde did loose it.
1600 Much Ado about Nothing iii. i. 32 Then go we neare her that her eare loose nothing
a1616 Coriolanus (1623) i. viii. 4 If we loose the Field, We cannot keepe the Towne.
1608 King Lear xxiv. 15 Who looses, and who wins, whose in, whose out.
1598 Henry IV, Pt. 1 iii. i. 183 Pride, hautinesse [etc.],..The least of which hanting a noble man, Looseth mens harts.
1604 Hamlet i. iii. 76 Loue oft looses both it selfe, and friend.
a1616 Antony & Cleopatra (1623) i. ii. 110 These strong Egyptian Fetters I must breake, Or loose my selfe in dotage.
Anyway, it's not a big deal.
Here are the various spellings of lose and loose over the years:
lose (v.): OE losian, ME losie(n, ME Sc. loyse, ME–15 losse, Sc. lois(s, ME, Sc.15– loss, ME–17 loose, 15 Sc. los, loce, ( loase, 16 loze), ME– lose. pa. tense. OE losode, losade, OE–ME losede, ME Sc. losit, ME–15 loste, Sc. lossit, lossyt, 15 Sc. loissit, loussit, (16 loosed, losed), ME– lost. pa. pple.OE (ge)losod, (ge)losad, ME ilosed, iloset, ME ilost, ME losed, ME i-, ylost(e, ME–15 loste, (Sc. losit, losyt, ME–15 loissit, lossit, lossyt, 15 loist, loseit, 16 loissed), ME– lost.
loose (adj.): ME–16 lousse, (also 17–18 dial.) lowse, (ME loss), ME lause, loos, ME, 15 lose, ME–16 lous, ME–17 louse, ME lawse, ME–15 lewse, loce, 15 Sc. lowis, lowsz, 16 lowsse, ME– loose.
How loose should you hit?
Main Post: How loose should you hit?
Top Comment:
Def tighter than losing the racket but it's great if you're able to get to that level of looseness consistently and not just due to sweat.
But, a teensy but tighter.
Why do people write "loose" instead of "lose"?
Main Post:
I'm not a native English speaker, but I was thought the language at a very young age since a (british) english speaker relative moved in with us. I still remember being corrected over and over when confusing those two words.
I also happen to be fat, so I read a lot of weight loss related subreddits and, understandably, I come across people writing the word "lose" several times a day. Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks like most of them actually spell it "loose". Are both forms correct (like lose can also be written loose), is it correct only for the "-ing" form (like, lose != loose but losing = loosing), is it something specifically related to weight loss (like the meanings of losing or loosening weight are interchangeable), or is it just one of those things native speakers always confuse so now basically both forms are widespread but only one is correct?
Top Comment:
It’s a really common spelling mistake. Only one is correct.