Use contractions

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Nowadays, it’s perfectly OK to use contractions in all forms of user assistance.

Contractions make your text more concise.

Contractions are more conversational than the full forms.

However, don’t use contractions:

if you need to be formal, such as in legal texts (terms of use, end user license agreements, and so on)

if you want to emphasize a word, in particular the word not

in warnings (see Writing warnings)

No:

If you have not used contractions before, do so now.

Yes:

If you haven’t used contractions before, do so now.

No:

You mustn’t use the washing machine to wash your pet.

Yes:

You must not use the washing machine to wash your pet.

(There’s an emphasis on the word not, so no contraction is used.)

List of common contractions

Full form

Contraction

are not

aren’t

cannot

can’t

can not

Don’t use can’t as a contraction for can not. For the different uses of cannot and can’t, see can / may / might / must / should.

could not

couldn’t

did not

didn’t

does not

doesn’t

do not

don’t

had not

hadn’t

has not

hasn’t

have not

haven’t

he had

he would

he’d

he will

he’ll

I had

I would

I’d

I will

I’ll

is not

isn’t

it is

it’s

Don’t confuse with its.

it will

it’ll

must not

mustn’t

(rarely used in American English)

need not

needn’t

she had

she would

she’d

she will

she’ll

should not

shouldn’t

that is

that’s

there is

there’s

they had

they would

they’d

they will

they’ll

they have

they’ve

(rarely used in American English when not immediately followed by a verb)

was not

wasn’t

we had

we would

we’d

we will

we’ll

we are

we’re

were not

weren’t

we have

we’ve

what is

what’s

who are
who have
who is

who’re
who’ve
who’s

(rarely used in technical documentation because it sounds very casual)

will not

won’t

would not

wouldn’t

you had

you would

you’d

you will

you’ll

you are

you’re

you have

you’ve

(rarely used in American English when not immediately followed by a verb)


it’s not / it isn’t