How to pronounce lose
Say it like LOOZ. Lose is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce lose. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LOOZ
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Lose pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LOOZSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of lose
American and British speakers say lose in essentially the same way: /luz/ in the US and /luːz/ in the UK.
British respelling: LOOZ.
What does lose mean?
- fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense“She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat”
- fail to win“We lost the battle but we won the war”
- suffer the loss of a person through death or removal“She lost her husband in the war”“The couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her”
Where does lose come from?
From Middle English losen, from Old English losian.
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with lose
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of lose.
Questions about saying lose
How do you pronounce lose?
Say LOOZ. The American pronunciation is /luz/. In British English it is /luːz/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in lose?
Lose is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: LOOZ.
Do Americans and Brits say lose the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /luz/ and the British form is /luːz/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.