Wikipedia:List of English contractions
This is a list of contractions used in the English language.
| Contraction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ain't | am not; are not; is not; has not; have not[1] |
| aren't | are not; am not[2] |
| can't | cannot |
| could've | could have |
| couldn't | could not |
| didn't | did not |
| doesn't | does not |
| don't | do not[3] |
| gonna | going to |
| hadn't | had not |
| hasn't | has not |
| haven't | have not |
| he'd | he had; he would |
| he'll | he shall; he will |
| he's | he has; he is |
| how'd | how did |
| how'll | how will |
| how's | how has; how is; how does |
| I'd | I had; I would |
| I'll | I shall; I will |
| I'm | I am |
| I've | I have |
| isn't | is not |
| it'd | it had; it would |
| it'll | it shall; it will |
| it's | it has; it is |
| let's | let us |
| ma'am | madam |
| might've | might have |
| Mr. | mister. Often without punctuation as "Mr" in British English |
| Mrs. | no standard unabbreviated spelling.[4] Often without punctuation as "Mrs" in British English |
| must've | must have |
| needn't | need not |
| o'clock | of the clock |
| shan't | shall not |
| she'd | she had; she would |
| she'll | she shall; she will |
| she's | she has; she is |
| should've | should have |
| shouldn't | should not |
| that'd | that would; that had |
| that's | that has; that is |
| there'd | there had; there would |
| there've | there have |
| there's | there has; there is |
| they'd | they had; they would |
| they'll | they shall; they will |
| they're | they are |
| they've | they have |
| wasn't | was not |
| we'd | we had; we would |
| we'll | we will |
| we're | we are |
| we've | we have |
| weren't | were not |
| what'll | what shall; what will |
| what're | what are |
| what's | what has; what is |
| when's | when has; when is |
| where'd | where did |
| where's | where has; where is |
| where've | where have |
| who'll | who shall; who will |
| who's | who has; who is |
| why's | why has; why is |
| won't | will not |
| would've | would have |
| wouldn't | would not |
| y'all | you all |
| you'd | you had; you would |
| you'll | you shall; you will |
| you're | you are |
| you've | you have |
| noun followed by 's | "noun is" or "noun has" |
Archaic contractions
This is a list of contractions found in earlier forms of English that are no longer in common use today.
| Contraction | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| o'er | over | |
| 'tis | it is | |
| 'twont | it won't | |
| ne'er | never |
Notes
- ^ "ain't" is used colloquially by some speakers as a substitute for a number of contractions, but is considered substandard by others.
- ^ "aren't" is usually a contraction of "are not"; however, it can be used as a contraction of "am not" in questions (e.g. "Aren't I the greatest?"), though this is often considered substandard.
- ^ "don't" can be used colloquially to mean "does not"; however, this is grammatically incorrect.
- ^ "Mrs." was originally a contraction of Mistress. In literature it may appear as "missus" or "missis" in dialogue.