Word Choice: Loath vs. Loathe

These words are pronounced differently, since ‘loath’ rhymes with ‘both’ and ‘loathe’ rhymes with ‘clothe’. Despite this, they look very similar written down. This can lead to confusion. In this post, then, we clarify when each term should be used.

Loath (Unwilling)

The word ‘loath’ is an adjective meaning ‘unwilling’, ‘reluctant’ or ‘averse to’. ‘Loath’ is always used in conjunction with ‘to’ as in ‘I am loath to do something’:

I am loath to say it, but I was wrong in judging him.

He was loath to admit his mistakes.

And this word is always spelled with just a ‘-th’ at the end.

Loathe (Hate)

The word ‘loathe’ is a verb meaning ‘detest’ or ‘despise’. This makes it strong synonym for the word ‘hate’, and it should be used in sentences like this:

I loathe getting up on a weekend morning.

The word ‘loathsome’ is an adjective used for describing something which is detestable, abhorrent or repellent.

The Difference Between ‘Loath’ and ‘Loathe’

It is a fairly common for people to write ‘I am loathe to…’ when they mean ‘I am loath to…’ But mistakes like this look bad in writing, even if your reader can still guess what you mean. Remember, ‘to loathe’ is to detest and ‘to be loath’ is to be unwilling. Moreover, while ‘loath’ is an adjective, ‘loathe’ is a verb.

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