How to Remember Commonly Misspelled Words #2: Lose

The English language can be hard sometimes. It's a mishmash of a bunch of other languages with seemingly random grammar and spelling rules. Sometimes remembering the correct spelling of a word comes down to rote memorization. Lose and loose are two words that I see misspelled a lot. Here are some memory aids I sometimes use to remember the correct spelling.

Lose vs. Loose

Lose is a very lonely word to begin with.

To lose someone is to become more alone. To lose something is to be stripped of it, to be less without it. Lose is a word that stands all by itself, that echoes loneliness.

So when you're spelling lose, remember to never give it another O. Loose is a word that has a companion. Loose has two O's, has a friend in the middle. But lose is a word that has lost something. It's lesser without that second O. It's alone. To lose is to be alone.

Loose, on the other hand, is like a pocketful of loose change. The two round O's in the middle are two pennies, rattling around and banging into each other. Loose is a word that's relaxed and easy-going; where lose has that intense "z" sound, loose slides off the tongue with the "s" sound. Loose. Two pennies in a pocketful of change.

So remember this:

He knew that if he were to ever lose her, he would be lonely, the loneliest man in creation. Even the loose change in his pocket had friends, had other pennies and dimes it would meet and collide with. But if he lost her, he would be truly alone.

English is a pretty cool language.

If these word-pictures help you, that's great, but not all memory aids work for all people. Do you have a certain association in your mind that helps you remember certain spellings? What are some other commonly misspelled words that you'd like me to feature?

How to Remember Commonly Misspelled Words: Lightning

You know, the English language can be hard sometimes. It's a mishmash of a bunch of other languages with seemingly random grammar and spelling rules. Sometimes remembering the correct spelling of a word comes down to rote memorization.

Which is where this post comes in. The way I usually remember spelling rules is by associating the spelling of words with their meaning. Sometimes this comes unwilling due to some synesthetic tendencies that I have, such as letters having feelings or different spellings of words having different colors, which makes it easier to remember. But some of the spellings have to do with conscious memory aids, and I'd like to share some of them with you to see if they help.

Lightning vs. Lightening

I see this mixed up all the time. Let's see if we can shed a little light on the situation.

When talking about lightning, "a brilliant electric spark discharge in the atmosphere," remember, the word is short and snappy like the event itself: light-ning. No room for that "e" in here. Just two syllables. 

Imagine a streak of lightning. Feel the brilliant electricity crackling in the warm air. Then all of a sudden it flashes into light - and then it's gone. Light-ning.

However, when talking about lightening a load, that extra "e" is what stretches that word into three syllables: light-en-ing - as if you're lifting that pack off your back, swinging it down, and dropping it on the ground. Feel the weight of the load on your shoulder, feel the muscles stretching as you lift it off, feel the tug of the gravity pulling it down, feel the relief on your shoulders, the lightening. Light-en-ing.

So remember this: if you're talking about a streak of lightning say it short and snappy in your mind: light-ning. Otherwise spell it light-en-ing, three syllables, like the action.

Isn't English awesome?

If these word-pictures help you, that's great, but not all memory aids work for all people. Do you have a certain association in your mind that helps you remember certain spellings? What are some other commonly misspelled words that you'd like me to feature?

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