loosvslooseWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: loos is a noun, loose is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“loos” is a noun and “loose” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#29,226
“loos” frequency rank
#31,162
“loose” frequency rank
60388
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loos loose
Definition Plural des Substantivs loo etwas ist locker, nicht fest

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set loos and loose apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
loos
5 ch
loose

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: loos is anoun and looseanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “loos” sits inside “loose”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60388, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loos is recorded at frequency rank #29,226, classified as anoun, pronounced […]. loose is at rank #31,162, tagged as anadj, pronounced [luːs].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 60388, this pair ranks #788,854 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of loos vs loose

Shared letters: los. Private to "loos": -. Private to "loose": e.

"loos" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "loose" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • looslloos · looss · loso · olos
  • looselloose · looes · loosse · losoe · olose

Frequency comparison

loos#29,226
loose#31,162

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loos" and "loose" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "loos" is a noun and "loose" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "loos" or "loose"?
"loos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,226 in our German list, against #31,162 for "loose". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering loos vs loose

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “loos”; for an adjective, it's “loose”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “loos” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list