Misuse of "loose" for "lose"

Tweet

If you spend any time online, you're probably very familiar with this pet peeve of mine: the misuse of loose for lose. This one makes me scratch my head a bit! I'm as sure as I can be the same people who mistakenly use loose instead of lose know how to spell goose. Since goose and loose rhyme with each other...why do they screw up?!

So which is which? That's easy!

- lose rhymes with ooze
- loose rhymes with goose

Some examples:

"I want to lose a few pounds."
"Did your team lose the game last night?"
"If you lose your keys, I have a spare set."

"This shirt is loose on me now because I've lost weight."
"That TV show is a loose adaptation of a true story."
"Are size nine shoes loose on you?"

Easy!

Still not sure which word is correct? Please post a comment below, or contact us on Twitter.

Tweet to @MyPetPeevesBlog