Loath/loathe

It's all down to the voiced/voiceless 'th/the'.

Yes, they way I say it anyway, the ‘oa’ in loathe is longer. ‘Loath’ has a relatively short vowel sound.

crazyH

Is loath with the emphasis on the ‘th’ and loathe pronounced as ‘loadh’ ? Just asking …

I have always said loath as lowth and loathe with a much longer o if you get what I mean.

I have a feeling that these two words are pronounced differently in Scotland and England, or at least the south of England.

I've learned something new today as well thanks Aveline

Well I've learnt something today. I never knew there was more than one spelling/ meaning of this word. English and grammar are my strong points, or so I thought. Feeling shamed now

The ‘th’ in ‘loathe’ is like the ‘th’ in ‘this’

In ‘loath’ it’s like the ‘th’ in ‘broth’.

I am loath to admit it, Callistemon, but I do loathe housework.
(Actually I’m not, I don’t care who knows!).

Aveline

Loath is produced using a voiceless interdental fricative. Loathe is produced using a voiced interdental fricative.

Oh, thanks Aveline!!
As I said, every day's a school day on GN 😄

They have confused me in the past so I tend to say “reluctant” instead of loath.

Loath is produced using a voiceless interdental fricative. Loathe is produced using a voiced interdental fricative.

Loathe is a softer 'th' sound whereas 'loath' ends more abruptly. It's difficult to explain!!

Perhaps it's my dialect!!

I pronounce both in the same way but when writing use the correct one.

Is loath with the emphasis on the ‘th’ and loathe pronounced as ‘loadh’ ? Just asking …

Oh yes, but I’m not saying which. I might get unpleasant comments.

They're pronounced differently too.

I am loath to get the vacuum cleaner out of the cupboard because I loathe cleaning.

(not really, I love cleaning )