Vocabulary B2 6 min read Updated 15 June 2026

Quick Answer

Loath (no final e) is an adjective meaning reluctant or unwilling, almost always used in the pattern loath to do something (I am loath to ask for help). It rhymes with both and ends in a voiceless “th” sound /θ/. Loathe (with final e) is a verb meaning to hate or detest strongly (I loathe spiders). It rhymes with clothe and ends in a voiced “th” sound /ð/. Remember: the e makes it a verb.

Loath and loathe look almost identical, differ by a single letter, and are both connected to the idea of dislike. Yet they are different parts of speech, mean different things, and are even pronounced differently. Loath describes how you feel about doing something (reluctant); loathe describes an action of intense dislike (to hate). Getting them straight is mostly about that final e and the sound at the end — the same pattern you already know from breath / breathe and bath / bathe.

At a Glance: Loath vs Loathe

WordPart of SpeechMeaningPronunciation
loath Adjective reluctant, unwilling (usually loath to do something) /l&əʊ;θ/ — rhymes with both; voiceless “th”
loathe Verb to hate, to detest strongly /l&əʊ;ð/ — rhymes with clothe; voiced “th”

Using “Loath”

Loath is an adjective. It has no final e, and it describes a person who is reluctant or unwilling to do something. It is nearly always followed by to plus a verb, as in loath to admit, loath to leave, loath to agree. It is a somewhat formal word, common in writing and careful speech.

Definition

(adjective) Reluctant, unwilling, hesitant. If you are loath to do something, you do not want to do it and you are likely to avoid or delay it. The word can also be spelled loth (a less common British variant), but the meaning and pronunciation are the same.

When to use it

  • To say someone is unwilling or reluctant: I am loath to interrupt.
  • Almost always in the pattern loath + to + verb
  • In formal or careful writing rather than casual chat
  • After the verb to be (it is a predicative adjective): She was loath to admit it.
  • When you want a more elegant alternative to reluctant or unwilling

I am loath to spend so much money on a phone.

She was loath to leave her old neighbourhood after thirty years.

The minister seemed loath to answer any further questions.

We are loath to make promises we cannot keep.

He was loath to admit that he had been wrong all along.

Key Pattern

be + loath + to + verb: I am loath to ask. / She was loath to agree.
It rhymes with both and ends in the same soft, voiceless “th” as breath and path.
Variant spelling: loth (same meaning, same sound).

Using “Loathe”

Loathe is a verb. It has a final e, and it means to hate something or someone very strongly — far stronger than simply “dislike”. As a verb it changes form: loathe, loathes, loathed, loathing. It takes a direct object (the thing you hate).

Definition

(verb) To feel intense dislike or disgust for something or someone; to detest or hate. To loathe is much stronger than to dislike. The related noun is loathing (a feeling of intense hatred or disgust), and the related adjective is loathsome (disgusting, repulsive).

When to use it

  • To express strong hatred or disgust: I loathe waiting in queues.
  • With a direct object (a noun or -ing form): She loathes cooking.
  • In any tense: loathes, loathed, is loathing
  • When “hate” feels too plain and you want extra emphasis
  • To form the noun loathing or adjective loathsome

I absolutely loathe getting up early in winter.

She loathes the smell of cigarette smoke.

They loathed each other from the moment they met.

He looked at the spider with utter loathing. (noun)

What I loathe most is being kept waiting.

Key Patterns

loathe + object: I loathe Mondays. / She loathes liars.
Verb forms: loathe / loathes / loathed / loathing.
It rhymes with clothe and ends in the same buzzing, voiced “th” as breathe and bathe.

The Key Difference

The single most useful rule is this: the final e turns the adjective into a verb. Loath (no e) is an adjective describing reluctance; loathe (with e) is a verb meaning to hate. This is exactly the same pattern as breath (noun) → breathe (verb) and bath (noun) → bathe (verb): adding the e changes both the word class and the “th” sound from voiceless /θ/ to voiced /ð/.

Adjective (reluctant):

I am loath to complain. (= I am unwilling to complain)

Verb (to hate):

I loathe complaining. (= I hate complaining)

Notice how only one of these can follow to be directly: you say I am loath (adjective) but never I am loathe. If the word follows am, is, are, was, were and describes a feeling of reluctance, it must be loath with no e.

Common Mistakes

I am loathe to ask for a favour.

I am loath to ask for a favour. (after am you need the adjective — no e)

She really loaths spiders.

She really loathes spiders. (the verb has the final e: loathe → loathes)

He was loathe to leave the party early.

He was loath to leave the party early. (reluctant = adjective, no e)

I loath getting up early.

I loathe getting up early. (here you mean “hate”, so use the verb with e)

Special Expressions and Word Family

Both words belong to a small but useful family. Loathe in particular branches out into a noun and an adjective:

  • loath to (do something) — the fixed pattern for the adjective: nothing loath (literary) means “quite willing”
  • loathing (noun) — intense hatred or disgust: a deep loathing of injustice
  • loathsome (adjective) — disgusting, repulsive: a loathsome crime
  • self-loathing (noun) — hatred directed at oneself: a spiral of self-loathing
  • loth — the alternative spelling of the adjective loath, same meaning and sound

And it is worth comparing the matched noun/verb pairs that work in exactly the same way:

  • breath (noun, /θ/) → breathe (verb, /ð/)
  • bath (noun, /θ/) → bathe (verb, /ð/)
  • cloth (noun, /θ/) → clothe (verb, /ð/)
Memory Tip

Remember: the e makes it a verb. Loathe has an extra e, just like breathe, bathe, and clothe — and all of these are verbs with the buzzing, voiced “th” sound. Drop the e and you get the adjective loath, which rhymes with both and means reluctant. Quick test: if you can put am, is or was in front of it and follow it with to do something, it is loath; if it is an action meaning “hate”, it is loathe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between loath and loathe?
Loath (no final e) is an adjective meaning reluctant or unwilling, almost always used in the pattern loath to do something: I am loath to interrupt. Loathe (with a final e) is a verb meaning to hate or detest strongly: I loathe spiders. They are different parts of speech and are even pronounced differently — loath rhymes with both and loathe rhymes with clothe. The simplest rule is that the extra e makes loathe a verb.
What does "loath to" mean?
If you are loath to do something, you are reluctant or unwilling to do it. The phrase is built from the adjective loath plus to plus a verb: I am loath to ask, she was loath to agree, they were loath to leave. It is a fairly formal way of saying you do not want to do something and would rather avoid it. Note the spelling has no final e — it is loath, not loathe.
How do you pronounce loathe?
Loathe is pronounced /ləʊð/, rhyming with clothe and bathe. The final "th" is voiced, meaning your vocal cords vibrate and the sound buzzes — the same "th" as in breathe and this. This is different from the adjective loath, which is pronounced /ləʊθ/ with a soft, voiceless "th" like in both and breath. The final e on loathe is a useful clue that the "th" is the buzzing, voiced one.
Is loath an adjective or a verb?
Loath is an adjective. It describes a person who is reluctant or unwilling, and it almost always appears after a form of the verb to be and before to plus a verb: I am loath to complain, he was loath to leave. It is not a verb and cannot take a direct object. If you want a verb meaning to hate, you need loathe with a final e instead.
Is "loth" a correct spelling?
Yes. Loth is an accepted, slightly older British spelling of the adjective loath. It has exactly the same meaning (reluctant, unwilling) and the same pronunciation, rhyming with both. You might see it in older or more literary writing: he was loth to admit it. In modern British English, loath is the more common spelling, but loth is not wrong. Note that there is no "loth" spelling of the verb — the verb is always loathe.
What is the noun form of loathe?
The noun is loathing, meaning a feeling of intense hatred or disgust: a deep loathing of cruelty, she looked at him with loathing. There is also self-loathing, which means hatred directed at oneself. The related adjective is loathsome, meaning disgusting or repulsive: a loathsome smell. All of these come from the verb loathe and keep the voiced, buzzing "th" sound.
How is loath vs loathe like breath vs breathe?
It follows exactly the same pattern. Breath (no e) is a noun with a soft, voiceless "th" /θ/, while breathe (with e) is a verb with a buzzing, voiced "th" /ð/. In the same way, loath (no e) is an adjective with voiceless "th", and loathe (with e) is a verb with voiced "th". The pair bath and bathe, and cloth and clothe, work identically. The added e signals both a change of word class and a change of sound.
Can you give an example of loathe in a sentence?
Sure. As a verb, loathe takes a direct object and means to hate strongly: I loathe getting up early, she loathes the sound of nails on a blackboard, they loathed each other for years. You can use it in any tense: he loathed his old job, I am loathing this weather. Compare this with the adjective loath, which would not fit here — you cannot say "I loath getting up" if you mean "I hate it".
What is an easy way to remember loath vs loathe?
Remember that the e makes it a verb. Loathe has an extra e, just like the verbs breathe, bathe, and clothe — and all of them have the buzzing, voiced "th" sound. Drop the e and you get the adjective loath, which rhymes with both and means reluctant. A quick test: if you can say "I am ___ to do something" it is loath; if it is an action meaning "to hate" it is loathe.
Why do people write "I am loathe to" by mistake?
This is a very common error. Because loathe (the verb meaning to hate) is more familiar than loath (the adjective meaning reluctant), writers often add the e out of habit. But after am, is, are, was or were you need the adjective, so the correct form is I am loath to ask, not I am loathe to ask. Whenever the word follows to be and is followed by to plus a verb, drop the e and write loath.

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