Loathe vs. Loath
Loathe and loath are another set of words in the English language that are confusing. They are spelled slightly differently, but they are pronounced differently and their meanings are worlds apart. But, don't be loath to use them (and definitely don't loathe them). They are easily understood and distinguished.
Loathe is a verb that means to dislike greatly or to hate. It denotes a feeling of disgust.
1. I loathe vegetable soup, and even the smell of it makes me gag.
2. My mother loathes snakes so much that she keeps a garden hoe near the basement door just in case she sees one.
3. My teacher said that she loathes when we are not nice to each other because she likes us all and knows that we all have the capacity to be kind.
Loath is an adjective meaning reluctant or not willing.
1. Marcus was loath to do his math homework because he wasn't sure he understood how to work the problems.
2. I am loath to tell you my secret because last time I shared something with you, you told three other people.
3. The child was loath to give up his favorite toy even though his mother said it was broken.
As you can see, these words mean very different things even though they are so similar. So, how do you remember which is which? There is not really a straightforward trick, but here are a couple of ideas. Loathe has that extra "e," which you could associate with having more dislike; more disgust. Loath is a shorter word-less willing. Another possible way to remember is that loathe is a verb, like breathe, teethe.
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