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Pedants' corner

Lose or loose, confusion over spelling

(112 Posts)
Crossstitchfan Tue 23-Dec-25 10:59:46

I am surprised at how many people seem to get ‘lose’ and ‘loose/losing confused., also die and dying.
‘I was sorry to ‘loose’ him.’
‘It was obvious he was ‘dieing’
Not a criticism, (although some will think so) just an observation as I have noticed it’s getting more common lately.

Bellanonna Tue 23-Dec-25 11:17:05

If they’re (there/their) dyslexic they might see the long o in pronunciation of “lose” as being like loose, goose, booze, choose etc. ?

RosieandherMaw Tue 23-Dec-25 11:24:08

No confusion really. In the case of lose/loose , different words (and pronunciations)

Lose , dying when you re talking about loss or death. (Looz)
Loose means released, unrestricted or free - let loose the dogs of war, or I have no loose change. (Looss)
The context dictates which word is right.
However, when a person is talking about their own bereavement we just have to let it go because to point it out would be crass in the circumstances.
( Dieing simply doesn’t exist.)

Charleygirl5 Tue 23-Dec-25 11:27:40

I saw the best one today on my local Nextdoor. Jell ussy for jealousy. After 30minutes scrawling down Nextdoor, I almost forgot how to spell my name.

crazyH Tue 23-Dec-25 11:40:09

Without being self-congratulatory - I never get confused with words - confused with other things for sure, but not with words😂

LucyAnna5 Tue 23-Dec-25 11:43:51

crazyH

Without being self-congratulatory - I never get confused with words - confused with other things for sure, but not with words😂

Did you mean foreshore? (Only joking!)

(Drums fingers / waits for someone to say you didn’t mean that….🤦‍♀️)

crazyH Tue 23-Dec-25 11:49:59

LucyAnna5 - 😂

Magenta8 Tue 23-Dec-25 12:04:21

Being dyslexic goodness nose how many words I spell incorrectly without realising. I must get right up the pedants' knowses every time I post.

J52 Tue 23-Dec-25 12:25:03

It might help to think that ‘lost’ has one ‘o’ as does ‘lose’

‘Loose’ has two ‘o’s making loose like a waistband.

‘Their’ has an ‘I’ in it and often refers to people, like I am.

Usedtobeblonde Tue 23-Dec-25 12:29:13

I don’t get confused with the examples here but I do get confused with discreet and discrete.

Usedtobeblonde Tue 23-Dec-25 12:30:49

I have just got a thread heading wrong.
I didn’t bother to preview 🥺

kircubbin2000 Tue 23-Dec-25 12:38:54

I don't think these people are dyslexic just uneducated. Probably never read a book.

I'm reading a William Boyd book and in the first chapter I've already had to look up 2 words!

No one minds a typo or slip up but it's very annoying to see so many people with such a poor standard of spelling.

sodapop Tue 23-Dec-25 12:48:15

Just seen on FB horror of horrors - I could of went

petra Tue 23-Dec-25 13:04:06

Charleygirl5

I saw the best one today on my local Nextdoor. Jell ussy for jealousy. After 30minutes scrawling down Nextdoor, I almost forgot how to spell my name.

That is exactly how a dyslexic person would write it, plus English might not be their first language.
I’m thankful that you can’t see how my friends son writes cant

crazyH Tue 23-Dec-25 13:09:36

Charleygirl 😂

crazyH Tue 23-Dec-25 13:10:14

Sorry, Petra

kircubbin2000 Tue 23-Dec-25 13:10:56

Our education minister speaks like that.

Grandma70s Tue 23-Dec-25 13:14:47

I notice these mistakes all the time, and find it very hard not to correct them.

There’s rarely any logic in English spelling, because of its complex derivations, so it just has to be learnt and memorised.

Marmin Tue 23-Dec-25 13:28:28

If I may ( as a retired english teacher) add a tangential observation: there is quite a stigma attached to having spelling issues in this (UK) country but nobody cares if your mental arithmetic is poor.

eazybee Tue 23-Dec-25 13:32:20

It is the work of seconds to use the search engine if uncertain of how to spell a word. Much easier than a dictionary.

Magenta8 Tue 23-Dec-25 13:37:48

kircubbin2000

I don't think these people are dyslexic just uneducated. Probably never read a book.

I'm reading a William Boyd book and in the first chapter I've already had to look up 2 words!

No one minds a typo or slip up but it's very annoying to see so many people with such a poor standard of spelling.

kircubbin2000 I read as many, if not more books than the average GN and my spelling is appalling.

By the way, I recommend "An Ice Cream War," "Any Human Heart" and "The Blue afternoon."

Grandma70s Tue 23-Dec-25 13:38:03

eazybee

It is the work of seconds to use the search engine if uncertain of how to spell a word. Much easier than a dictionary.

Just make sure the spelling you find isn’t American - unless, of course, you are American.

Beechnut Tue 23-Dec-25 13:55:20

Magenta8

kircubbin2000

I don't think these people are dyslexic just uneducated. Probably never read a book.

I'm reading a William Boyd book and in the first chapter I've already had to look up 2 words!

No one minds a typo or slip up but it's very annoying to see so many people with such a poor standard of spelling.

kircubbin2000 I read as many, if not more books than the average GN and my spelling is appalling.

By the way, I recommend "An Ice Cream War," "Any Human Heart" and "The Blue afternoon."

My husband was the same as you Magenta with his reading and spelling.

Toetoe Tue 23-Dec-25 14:01:06

I'm sure I was taught this in school . Yet nowadays the word presant ( a gift) is spelt present . I'm confused . Please put my mind at rest .

Present - as in time - now
Presant - gift

fancyflowers Tue 23-Dec-25 14:07:10

My DH can't spell, he's a Yorkshire man, doesn't pronounce 'h' and spells accordingly. But, he's highly educated and a whizz at maths whereas I can't get the same answer twice.

With some people it's a lack of education, but some, like my DH, just can't do it.

Some years ago I was appalled when one of my Facebook friends, a boy who had spent 2 years in my class, got 'it's' and 'its' wrong.

I know he should have known it, since he had spent hours on grammar in my class.