Contractions List in English

7ESL

Contractions in grammar are shortened forms of words or groups of words, where certain letters are omitted and replaced with an apostrophe. This reference covers a detailed list of contractions, special cases, and an alphabetical list for easy reference.

Additionally, there is guidance on when to use contraction words in writing. Understanding and using contractions correctly can help make your writing clearer and more concise.

Contractions List

List of Contractions of Auxiliaries

The verb “to be” takes on forms like “is”, “are”, and “am”. These can form contractions with a noun or pronoun. Here are examples:

“I am” becomes “I’m” (e.g., “I’m a teacher”)
“She is” becomes “She’s” (e.g., “She’s a doctor”)
“They are” becomes “They’re” (e.g., “They’re accountants”)
“The dog is” becomes “The dog’s” (e.g., “The dog’s healthy”)

The ” ‘s” contraction can also indicate a possessive. Examples include:

“The worker is tall” contracts to “The worker’s tall”.
“The lunchbox of the worker” becomes “The worker’s lunchbox”.

Other auxiliary verb forms include:

List of auxiliary verb contractions:

Contraction	Verb
‘m	am
‘s	is
‘re	are
‘ve	have
‘s	has
‘d	had
‘ll	will

Negative Contractions List

These contractions usually involve removing the “o” from “not” and adding an apostrophe “n’t”:

List of negative contractions:

Forms of be: isn’t, aren’t, wasn’t, weren’t
Forms of have: haven’t, hasn’t, hadn’t
Modal verbs: can’t, couldn’t, mayn’t, mightn’t, mustn’t, shan’t, shouldn’t, won’t , wouldn’t, needn’t, oughtn’t.
Forms of do: don’t, doesn’t, didn’t

Special Cases

Alphabetical List of Contractions

Contractions List

aren’t – are not
can’t – cannot
couldn’t – could not
didn’t – did not
doesn’t – does not
don’t – do not
hadn’t – had not
hasn’t – has not
haven’t – have not
he’d – he had; he would
he’ll – he will; he shall
he’s – he is; he has
I’d – I had; I would
I’ll – I will; I shall
I’m – I am
I’ve – I have
it’s – it is; it has
isn’t – is not
let’s – let us
mightn’t – might not
mustn’t – must not
shan’t – shall not
she’d – she had; she would
she’ll – she will; she shall
she’s – she is; she has
shouldn’t – should not
that’s – that is; that has
there’s – there is; there has
they’d – they had; they would
they’ll – they will; they shall
they’re – they are
they’ve – they have
we’d – we had; we would
we’re – we are
we’ve – we have
weren’t – were not
what’ll – what will; what shall
what’re – what are
what’s – what is; what has
what’ve – what have
where’s – where is; where has
who’d – who had; who would
who’ll – who will; who shall
who’re – who are
who’s – who is; who has
who’ve – who have
won’t – will not
wouldn’t – would not
you’d – you had; you would
you’ll – you will; you shall
you’re – you are
you’ve – you have

Informal Contractions List

Informal contractions and their meanings:

Contraction	Meaning
Ain’t	Am not, are not, is not Has not, have not
Wanna	Want to, want a
Whatcha	What have you
Kinda	Kind of
Sorta	Sort of
Outta	Out of
Alotta	A lot of
Lotsa	Lots of
Mucha	Much of
Cuppa	Cup of
Dunno	Don’t know
Lemme	Let me
Gimme	Give me
Tell’em	Tell them
Cos	Because
Innit?	Isn’t it?
I’mma	I’m going to
Gonna	Going to
Needa	Need to
Oughta	Ought to
Hafta	Have to
Hasta	Has to
Usta	Used to
Supposta	Supposed to
Gotta	Got to (have) got a
Cmon	Come on
Ya	You, you are
Shoulda	Should have
Shouldna	Shouldn’t have
Wouldna	Wouldn’t have
She’da	She would have
Coulda	Could have
Woulda	Would have
Mighta	Might have
Mightna	Mightn’t have
Musta	Must have
Mussna	Must not have
Dontcha	Don’t you
Wontcha	Won’t you
Whatcha	What are you
Betcha	Bet you
Gotcha	Got you
D’you	Do you
Didntcha	Didn’t you
Dija	Did you
S’more	Some more
Layder	Later

Use these informal contractions cautiously. They are popular in casual speech and writing but are not suitable for academic or professional settings.

When to Use Contraction Words in Writing

Contraction words are usually used in informal writing. They’re common in casual writing between friends or colleagues. It’s okay to use contractions in day-to-day emails with superiors, articles, fiction, or instructions.

Avoid using contractions in formal writing, like academic papers, unless you’re quoting someone. Using contractions can make your writing more natural and approachable.

Examples:

Full Form	Contraction
do not	don’t
cannot	can’t
will not	won’t