Lose | Loose
This is a very common spelling mistake. There are nevertheless significant differences in the meanings of each wordr:
- Lose - to fail, or be unable to find
.
- I lost my keys last night.
- Loose - not tight or fixed in place.
- I loosened my belt; it was too tight.
Luckily, there is a very quick way to judge which spelling you need should you forget - pronounce the word that you intend aloud. Lose has a voiced z sound, whilst loose has a hissy s sound.
Be careful when typing this word down - it is quite easy to rest your finger slightly too long on the 'o' key with the result that you'll have a loose for your lose - an error that your spellchecker will not pick up.