Contractions in English: Full List, Rules and How They Sound

Two cards saying “I” and “am”, and an arrow to one card saying “I’m”, with the letter “a” floating away from the apostrophe. — Two words become one: the apostrophe marks where the letters were left out.

What is a contraction?

A contraction is a short form of two words, usually a pronoun or noun with a verb (“she is” → “she’s”), or a verb with “not” (“is not” → “isn’t”). The apostrophe shows where letters were removed.

I am going home.
I’m going home.
They will call you.
They’ll call you.
It is not ready.
It isn’t ready.

“do not” with the “o” of “not” lifting out, an arrow to “don’t” with the apostrophe where the “o” was, and a label: apostrophe = missing letters. — “Do not” loses its “o”, and an apostrophe takes its place.

List of English contractions

am, is, areI’m, you’re, he’s, she’s, it’s, we’re, they’re, that’s, there’s, what’s, who’s
have, hasI’ve, you’ve, we’ve, they’ve, he’s (has), she’s (has), it’s (has)
willI’ll, you’ll, he’ll, she’ll, it’ll, we’ll, they’ll
would, hadI’d, you’d, he’d, she’d, we’d, they’d
notisn’t, aren’t, wasn’t, weren’t, don’t, doesn’t, didn’t, haven’t, hasn’t, hadn’t, can’t, couldn’t, won’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t, mustn’t
Otherslet’s (let us), ma’am (madam), o’clock (of the clock)

Five cards, one per family: am · is · are (I’m, she’s), have · has (I’ve, it’s), will (I’ll, we’ll), would · had (I’d, they’d) and not (don’t, can’t). — Five families cover almost every contraction: am, is and are; have and has; will; would and had; and not.

Rules for using contractions

The apostrophe goes where the letters were left out: do not → don’t, not do’nt.
Use them in speech, emails, messages and most everyday writing; avoid them in very formal writing.
Don’t use a positive contraction at the end of a sentence: “Yes, I am”, not “Yes, I’m” (negative ones are fine: “No, I don’t”).
Some are irregular: will not → won’t, cannot → can’t, shall not → shan’t.
Don’t confuse contractions with possessives: it’s (it is) vs its, you’re (you are) vs your, they’re (they are) vs their.

Homophones: its / it’s, your / you’re, their / they’re

Two speech bubbles under the label “at the end of a sentence”: “Yes, I am.” with a green tick, and “Yes, I’m.” with a red cross. — A positive contraction can’t end a sentence: “Yes, I am”, never “Yes, I’m”.

Contractions that are hard to hear

Can and can’t: “can” is usually weak and quick (“I c’n come”), while “can’t” keeps its full vowel and is often stressed. Listen to the vowel and the stress rather than waiting for the “t”, which is often hardly said.

I can come tomorrow.
I can’t come tomorrow.
She can swim.
She can’t swim.
We can help you.
We can’t help you.

’s can mean “is” or “has”: “He’s working” (is), “He’s finished” (has). ’d can mean “would” or “had”: “I’d like” (would), “I’d left” (had). The next word tells you which.

He’s working. (is)
He’s finished. (has)
I’d like a coffee. (would)
I’d left already. (had)

“can” with a short, quiet sound wave labelled “c’n”, next to “can’t” with a long, strong sound wave labelled “stressed”. — “Can” is quick and weak; “can’t” is longer and stressed. Listen for the vowel, not the “t”.

Gonna, wanna, gotta

In informal speech, some phrases shrink even further: “going to” → gonna, “want to” → wanna, “got to” → gotta, “kind of” → kinda, “let me” → lemme, “don’t know” → dunno. They are not standard spelling, but you will hear them everywhere in films, songs and conversation. In a dictation, write the full form.

I’m gonna be late. (going to)
I wanna go home. (want to)
I’ve gotta go. (got to)

Three speech bubbles, “gonna”, “wanna” and “gotta”, each with an arrow down to its full form: “going to”, “want to”, “got to”. — In fast, informal speech, “going to” becomes “gonna”. In a dictation, write the full form.

What learners miss most

When writing down speech, learners often drop the contraction entirely: “I going” for “I’m going”, “She finished” for “She’s finished”. Mixing up “can” and “can’t” is also common, and it flips the meaning.

Practise with short English sentences

Try today’s dictation

Questions about contractions

What are contractions in English?

Short forms of two words joined with an apostrophe, such as “I’m” (I am), “don’t” (do not) and “they’ll” (they will).

Are contractions informal?

Contractions like “I’m” and “don’t” are normal in speech and in most writing; only very formal writing avoids them. Forms like “gonna” and “wanna” are informal and usually only spoken.

How do I hear the difference between “can” and “can’t”?

Listen to the vowel and the stress. “Can” is usually short and unstressed (“c’n”); “can’t” has a longer, clearer vowel and is often stressed.

Is “gonna” a contraction?

It is an informal reduced form of “going to”, used in speech. It isn’t written with an apostrophe and isn’t used in formal writing.