How to spell couldn't

hear it/'kʊdʌnt/verbSilent and tricky

What it means: Was not able to.

In a sentence: The cat couldn't catch the quick mouse.

The part people get wrong

Watch for a silent l.

Same family: could, can't, cannot, wouldn't, shouldn't. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Couldn't” is a contraction of “could not,” formed by replacing the “o” in “not” with an apostrophe. The auxiliary verb “could” comes from Old English “cuðe,” related to “can,” which originally meant ‘to know how’ or ‘to be able to.’

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Words like this

wouldn't · fight · flight · account · twenty-first · doesn't · midnight · moonlight

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