loose and luce are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. loose means “not compact or dense in structure or arrangement”. luce means “United States publisher of magazines (1898-1967)”. loose is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈlus/
1.adj.not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
“loose gravel”
2.adj.(of a ball in sport) not in the possession or control of any player
“a loose ball”
3.adj.not tight; not closely constrained or constricted or constricting
“loose clothing”
| loose | luce | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈlus/ | /ˈlus/ |
| Said | loos | loos |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 5 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, verb, adverb | noun |
| Senses | 18 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Familiar |
| Synonyms | none recorded | Henry Luce, Henry Robinson Luce |
Full entry for loose · Full entry for luce · More comparisons
/ˈlus/
1.n.United States publisher of magazines (1898-1967)
2.n.United States playwright and public official (1902-1987)