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extends: substitution
message: "Use '%s' instead of '%s'."
link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/style-guide/a-z-word-list-term-collections/l/lose-loose
level: warning
ignorecase: true
action:
name: replace
swap:
# "loosing" should almost always be "losing" in technical writing.
# "loosing" as a verb (to loosen a restraint) is archaic and out of place in tech docs.
loosing: losing
# "loose" after modal or auxiliary verbs indicates verb confusion.
# Example: "the app will loose data" → "the app will lose data"
'((?:will|would|can|could|may|might|shall|should|must|do|does|did)\s+)loose\b': '$1lose'
# Infinitive "to loose" should be "to lose".
# Example: "It is possible to loose data" → "to lose data"
'\b(to\s+)loose\b': '$1lose'
# "loose" followed by a possessive pronoun is almost certainly a verb error.
# Example: "you will loose your data" → "lose your data"
'\bloose(\s+(?:your|their|our|its|my|his|her))\b': 'lose$1'
# Common idioms that use "loose" incorrectly instead of "lose".
# Example: "loose sight of the goal" → "lose sight of the goal"
'\bloose(\s+(?:sight|track)\s+of)\b': 'lose$1'