LOOSE VERSUS LOSE

We often get confused about the spelling of Loose versus Lose.  Both are sound alikes.  Creates a lot of Confusion and can lead to a Medical Error.  Here is the Crack.

LOOSE:  Not Tight.  Just imagine a person wearing a pant which is LOOSE fit. As if , his legs are like the two O O in the pant in a cross-section view... and visualize two legs in a pant, L O O SE, where L SE are the pants.

For example:  Patient is having loose stools (not tight).

                           --------               --------                        --------                          ----------

LOSE:  Cease to have, Missing, Losing.  Here just imagine that LOOSE has lost one O from it.  Loose is missing one O from its OO. --- MISSING O from it, lost one O.

For Example:  Patient is to lose weight (i.e., patient is to miss/subtract/reduce some weight).

BOTTOM LINE:

LOOSE:  Not Tight.

LOSE:   Lost / Missing something ==> Missing a O from the spelling -- Lost an O. 


Arup Ghosh, BSC, BASM Senior Quality Analyst Medical Transcription