How to pronounce “loose”
Say “loose” in one beat
loose
/lus/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /luːs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- looselus
- IPA (American)
- /lus/
- IPA (British)
- /luːs/
- Respelling
- LOOSS
- Syllables
- 1 — loose
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /lus/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- verb, adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/lus/
/luːs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “loose” goes wrong
- Often heard
“LOOZ”
loose ends in a hissing s; lose ends in a z
What “loose” means
- verb
grant freedom to; free from confinement
- verb
turn loose or free from restraint
“let loose mines”
- verb
make loose or looser
“loosen the tension on a rope”
Say it in a sentence
“The handle was loose and came off in his hand.”“loose”, answered
How do you pronounce “loose”?
“loose” is pronounced /lus/ (LOOSS) in American English and /luːs/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /lus/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “loose” have?
One, despite the 3 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /lus/ — a single beat.
Is “loose” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /lus/ (LOOSS); British English says /luːs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “loose” mean?
As a verb: grant freedom to; free from confinement For example: “The handle was loose and came off in his hand.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “loose”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /lus/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “loose” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.