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What are Contractions in Writing? Definition, Types, and Examples

Learn what contractions are, how they’re formed, and when to use them. This guide covers standard, irregular, three-word, and archaic contractions, common mistakes, apostrophe rules, and contractions in formal writing.

Allie Watson

Aug 05, 2026 · 5 min read

Fact checked

A contraction is a shortened form of words where one or more letters have been omitted. By removing letters and adding an apostrophe, I am becomes I’m, which is simpler and more closely resembles the way we speak.

Writers tend to debate not only when to use contractions and when not to, but also what purpose they serve in writing. Generally, they should be used with some restraint in formal writing, but as one Redditor notes, “Refusing to use contractions will make you sound like you're a time traveller from Victorian London.”

This guide explains the different types of contractions, reviews common mistakes and a list of common contractions, and answers frequently asked questions on the topic. Learn what contractions are, how to form them, when to use them, and how to use them properly.

What is a Contraction?

A contraction takes 2-3 words and uses apostrophes to merge them into one word. Not all words can be combined into contractions. As the University of Sussex explains, “this generally happens only with a small number of conventional items, mostly involving verbs.”

The common contraction we’re is made of we + are:

A venn diagram showing the merger of “we” and “are” into “we’re.

Though rarer and more informal, 3 words can also form a contraction, as in the case of shouldn’t’ve:

A venn diagram showing the merger of “should” and “not” and “have” into “shouldn’t’ve.”

Contractions vs Possessive Pronouns

There are a number of commonly confused homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings), where one is a contraction, and the other is a possessive pronoun.

Homophone	CONTRACTION	POSSESSIVE PRONOUN
You’re / Your	You’re = You are	Your = possessed by “you”
It’s / Its	It’s = It is /or/ It has	Its = possessed by “it”
They’re / Their	They’re = They are	Their = possessed by “they”
Who’s / Whose	Who’s = Who is	Whose = possessed by “who”

The CDC’s Writing Hub offers a short quiz to see if you know the difference between contractions and possessive pronouns.

Types of Contractions

Standard contractions

Most contractions are formed by combining two conventional items, usually a pronoun and a verb. Common examples include: can’t, she’d, I’ll, we’ve, he’s, you’re, let’s and more. These standard contractions combine two words and use a single apostrophe to mark the removal of letters.

These are some of the most common contractions that use pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, and they:

Irregular contractions

There is a small number of common but irregular contractions that don’t follow the basic rules of standard contractions. Won’t is the most common example. If it followed the standard pattern for contractions, will + not would likely create willn’t, which is not a word.

A venn diagram showing the merger of “will” and “not” into “won’t” and not into “willn’t

3-word contractions

Contractions that combine 3 words are less common and even more informal than standard contractions, so be sure to avoid them in formal writing. Common examples of 3-word contractions include:

Wouldn’t’ve = would not have
Shouldn’t’ve = should not have
Couldn’t’ve = could not have
He’d’ve = he would have

Be aware that most 2-word contractions cannot simply have a third part added on. He isn’t is grammatical, as is he’s not, but trying to cram he + is + not together into “he’sn’t” is incorrect.

Archaic contractions

There are a number of contractions that are no longer commonly used in English, though you may still encounter them when reading an older text or historical fiction, as they were routinely used in the past.

‘Twas = it was
O’er = over

There are also words that were formed through contraction but now stand alone because we no longer use the full form.

O’clock = of the clock
Goodbye = God be with ye

List of Common Contractions

Here is a list of common contractions with their full forms and examples of how they’re used in a sentence.

Contraction	Full Form	Example sentence
we’ll	we will	I guess we’ll wait and see.
they’re	they are	We hope they’re going to the party.
let’s	let us	Let’s go!
that’s	that is	That’s exactly what happened.
don’t	do not	You don’t have to wake up early.
we’d	we would	We’d all appreciate some cooler weather.
they’ve	they have	It seems they’ve given up.

For a longer list of common contractions, along with practice exercises to verify comprehension, try the University of San José’s resource on contractions.

How Are Contractions Formed?

Contractions shorten and combine two or more words into one word. Generally, they remove some letters and mark those removals with an apostrophe.

Did not becomes didn’t in three stages:

Combine the words = didnot
Remove one or more letters = didnt
Mark the removed letter(s) with an apostrophe = didn’t

Similarly for shouldn’t’ve:

Shouldnothave
Shouldntve
Shouldn’t’ve

Infographic showing the steps to creating a contraction: combine the words, remove letters, and mark the removal with apostrophes.

When to Use or Avoid Contractions

Contractions are not appropriate in all written documents. Contractions are considered informal language, so formal writing will usually avoid them. The purpose of formal language is to elevate your writing to convey authority or impersonal distance, so writing in professional and academic contexts often requires removing contractions.

Here are some document types that do and do not permit contractions:

Document Type	USE contractions	AVOID contractions
Essay	NO	YES
Coverletter	NO	YES
Legal contract	NO	YES
Investigative journalism	NO	YES
Newspaper opinion piece	YES	NO
Personal correspondence	YES	NO
Social media post	YES	NO

Errors in contractions can be easily caught by a free grammar checker. Select the best grammar checker for your needs.

FAQ

Are contractions grammatical mistakes?

No. Using a contraction is perfectly grammatical; it’s just informal. There are, however, some situations where a contraction is ungrammatical because it’s been improperly placed in a stressed or emphasized position. In the following dialogue, the contraction is ungrammatical because “have” is the stressed word in the response, so it needs to appear in its full form:

Doctor: Have you been exercising regularly?

Patient: Yes, I’ve.

Can contractions be used in essays?

This is a grey area. The safest approach to essay writing is not to use contractions; they are an informal feature of language, while an essay requires formal language.

There are, however, situations where informal language features, such as contractions, can make a formal text more readable and natural-sounding, although the general rule is to use them sparingly. The Modern Language Association offers these guidelines:

Why do contractions use apostrophes?

The basic rule is that apostrophes mark omitted letters in contractions. The apostrophe in can’t appears between the “n” and the “t” where the letter “o” has been removed. In rock’n’roll, the two apostrophes mark the missing “a” and “d” from and.

In many cases, the apostrophe distinguishes the contraction from an entirely different word.

She’d = she would
Shed = small storage building
She’ll = she will/shall
Shell = hard outer layer

There are some contractions that don’t use apostrophes even though they combine words. Gonna, wanna, and shoulda are highly informal contractions that forego the apostrophe.