# Holy shit. Nobody knows the difference between "lose" and "loose" any more. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 1, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547 "2010-12-01T16:25:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/21 "2010-12-01T18:44:46Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Then there is “rein in”, often done as “reign in” > > And it’s “to the manor born” not “to the manner born” Here, here! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/22 "2010-12-01T18:50:36Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > … and don’t even get me started on when people talk about their lieu’s stools. You’re going the right way for a smacked bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/23 "2010-12-01T19:13:43Z")
u need 2 losen up dude n stop loosin ur cool over the small stuff ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/24 "2010-12-01T19:18:19Z")
In Vegas, they adverise loose slots, but you still lose in the end. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/25 "2010-12-01T19:30:35Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > If you think that’s weird I heard a radio commercial awhile back where the guy mispronounced “suite”. You think that even if the people who wrote the commercial didn’t know the difference the guy doing the commercial would. My pastor always mispronounces guarantee (GAR-an-tee instead of GARE-an-tee), bugs me to no end (and I can hear my mom grinding her teeth in the row behind me when it happens too) - at least if, based on the Power Point that’s up during the sermon, if it seems like he’ll be using the word soon, I can brace myself, but it still doesn’t make it pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/26 "2010-12-01T19:46:32Z")
Sadly, the lose vs loose misuse is so common that I fear it’s only a short time before the American Heritage dictionary will recognize it as an alternative form. It’s a slippery sloop. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/27 "2010-12-01T19:54:09Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > My pastor always mispronounces guarantee (GAR-an-tee instead of GARE-an-tee), bugs me to no end (and I can hear my mom grinding her teeth in the row behind me when it happens too) - at least if, based on the Power Point that’s up during the sermon, if it seems like he’ll be using the word soon, I can brace myself, but it still doesn’t make it pleasant. That just sounds like a regionalism and a very acceptable pronunciation to me. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/28 "2010-12-01T19:58:29Z")
Peek, peak and pique is the new there, their and they’re. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/29 "2010-12-01T20:23:41Z")
There’s only one way out of this. We need to spell the word meaning to release something, ‘luse’, and the other word meaning the opposite of ‘find’, ‘luze’. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/30 "2010-12-01T20:27:30Z")
Thunder and lightening Lightning! Damn it. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/31 "2010-12-01T20:29:25Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > My pastor always mispronounces guarantee (GAR-an-tee instead of GARE-an-tee), bugs me to no end (and I can hear my mom grinding her teeth in the row behind me when it happens too) - at least if, based on the Power Point that’s up during the sermon, if it seems like he’ll be using the word soon, I can brace myself, but it still doesn’t make it pleasant. That can’t be as grating as my old pastor who would say “simular” instead of “similar”. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/32 "2010-12-01T20:43:04Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Thunder and lightening > > Lightning! Damn it. No no, the former is correct. The person was obviously referring to the style of hair highlight products. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/34 "2010-12-01T21:08:50Z")
> [@love2learnchicka45](#): > > I can’t believe no one has mentioned the misuse of these: > > its and it’s > > your and you’re > > Those are biggies. > [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Weird. Over here in the colonies noone uses it, **its** too lose of an interpretation. It brakes my heart, it does. > [@Leaffan](#): > > **Your** write. We did. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/35 "2010-12-01T21:19:17Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > That just sounds like a regionalism and a very acceptable pronunciation to me. 😕 Regionlism _where_? He is from Alberta, if that helps, I have yet to hear other Albertans speak that way. ---
**Author:** ![emu2swan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@emu2swan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emu2swan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/36 "2010-12-01T21:53:36Z")
I’ve had problems with loose / lose before. The way I remember the difference is loose has 2 o’s which are loose, bumping into each other. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/37 "2010-12-01T21:59:48Z")
It drives me crazy to see teenagers write school papers with the wrong there, their, and they’re. I saw one use the word “bout” instead of “about,” and another start a sentence with “Cause” instead of “Because.” Ahhhhh!!! ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/38 "2010-12-01T22:09:43Z")
If you want to spell lose, you have to lose the extra O. ETA: But don’t let it loose or you’ll get confused. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/39 "2010-12-01T22:23:21Z")
This thread is rediculous. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/40 "2010-12-02T00:19:22Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > It drives me crazy to see teenagers write school papers with the wrong there, their, and they’re. I saw one use the word “bout” instead of “about,” and another start a sentence with “Cause” instead of “Because.” Ahhhhh!!! I’ve seen this: “On \*behave \*of myself and the group” ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-nobody-knows-the-difference-between-lose-and-loose-any-more/562547/41 "2010-12-02T00:27:52Z")
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