How do you spell could

Could Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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[ kood; unstressed kuhd ]

/ kʊd; unstressed kəd /

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See synonyms for could on Thesaurus.com

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

auxiliary verb

a simple past tense of can¹.

(used to express possibility): I wonder who that could be at the door. That couldn't be true.

(used to express conditional possibility or ability): You could do it if you tried.

(used in making polite requests): Could you open the door for me, please?

(used in asking for permission): Could I borrow your pen?

(used in offering suggestions or advice): You could write and ask for more information. You could at least have called me.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

Origin of could

First recorded in 1450–1500; alteration of late Middle English coude, coud, Old English cūthe; modern -l- from would¹, should

usage note for could

See care.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH could

Words nearby could

cough drop, Coughlin, cough mixture, cough syrup, cough up, could, couldn't, couldn't care less, couldst, coulee, coulibiac

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to could

keep, commit, manage, take care of, bottle, may, expel, terminate, dismiss, boot, sack, bounce, ax, cashier, discharge, put up, make out, can do, could, cut the mustard

How to use could in a sentence

• Note: These are only a handful of many aborted could-be classics.

  Doomed Passion Projects of Hollywood: The Lost Classics of Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, and More|Marlow Stern|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• Many men (and women) evaluated Sarah Palin, the could-have-been GOP vice president from Alaska, based on her appearance.

  Everyday Sexism Creator Laura Bates on Helping Women Speak Out|Anna Klassen|April 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST

• Is this year's Sundance sales frenzy a direct result of last year's little-movie-that-could?

  The 'Winter's Bone' Effect|Nicole LaPorte|January 29, 2011|DAILY BEAST

• Jerry Brown, California's once and could-be future governor, is a master of reinvention, just like the pop icon.

  The Madonna of Politics|Lloyd Grove|March 15, 2010|DAILY BEAST

• That ugly fellow who swore at me the day before was in the boat, and I c-could understand him.

  Ben Comee|M. J. (Michael Joseph) Canavan

• And Glora and Alan—in our present size-could doubtless disembark safely.

  Astounding Stories, March, 1931|Various

• If only she could summon him from the moonlight out there; if only she were a witch-could see him, know where he was, what doing!

  Saint's Progress|John Galsworthy

• He was all innuendo and strange hints and whispered secrets, and I-could-if-I-woulds.

  Nights|Elizabeth Robins Pennell

• Anthony said you-could hear Emmy's tongue striking the roof of her-mouth all thee time.

  The Tree of Heaven|May Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for could

could

/ (kʊd) /

verb (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive)

used as an auxiliary to make the past tense of can 1

used as an auxiliary, esp in polite requests or in conditional sentences, to make the subjunctive mood of can 1 could I see you tonight?; she'd telephone if she could

used as an auxiliary to indicate suggestion of a course of actionyou could take the car tomorrow if it's raining

(often foll by well) used as an auxiliary to indicate a possibilityhe could well be a spy

Word Origin for could

Old English cūthe; influenced by would, should; see can 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with could

see can (could) do with; see with half an eye, could. Also see under can; couldn't.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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Writing 101

– 6 min read

Jessica Malnik

Bad spelling can be dangerous.

Let’s take the commonly misspelled words  – your and you’re.

Some folks might write – “Your going to die,” when they meant to write, “You’re going to die.”

@_ryanpm_Bad grammar is scary #inverted #SometimesIRun #grammarlesson #tiktokteacher♬ Sometimes – Britney Spears

Okay, this might be an extreme example.   

Whether you are writing an essay for school, an important email, or a resume for a new job, the spelling of the words you use matter a lot. After all, an email with a bunch of spelling errors can make you look lazy or unprofessional.  

However, the English language is drawn from multiple sources, like Latin and Greek. Add in the nuances between American English and British English. And, it is easy to see how people get confused about all of the different spelling rules.

Luckily, it is easy to fix. Our phones and computers now come with built-in spell checkers, so we don’t have to turn to Merriam Webster, dictionary.com, or, heaven forbid, memorize all of the ways to spell words like our grandfathers and grandmothers had to do back in the old days pre-computers, Internet, and smartphones.  

However, the best spellers – you know the ones who participated in the National Spelling Bee as kids – know autocorrect won’t always have your back and can sometimes feel like it’s actively working against you. For example, every time your phone autocorrects a certain word to “duck” or “ducking” in your texts.

In this post, we’ll share the basics of spelling, tips for improving your skills, and a few of the most commonly misspelled English words.

What does spelling mean?

Essentially, spelling is the forming of words or letters in the correct, accepted order. It boils down to a series of letters that make up a word.

Being able to spell words correctly is not this magical force or superpower. Anyone can learn to be a better speller if you learn these basic rules to guide English spelling. 

Without diving into the specifics of each, here are 5 of the categories that most spelling rules apply to in English:  

• Prefixes and suffixes

• Doubling letters

• Dropping and adding letters

• Verb forms

• Plurals

The dictionary uses both American and British spellings of words. For instance, “color” is the American form of the word “colour” in British spelling. Though neither spelling is incorrect, the spelling you’ll use will likely depend on where you live.

British and American spellings of words often follow different spelling rules, so you’ll need to be sure to follow the rules of whichever you use.

How to spell words correctly

There are many rules to follow when it comes to spelling, and so many of these rules aren’t set in stone. The rules aren’t always applied the same way to different words.

This is a recipe for confusion.

But don’t worry! By keeping a few hints in mind, you can improve your spelling without having to memorize a ton of rules.

• Start by sounding out the words. Not every word is spelled how it sounds, but the phonetic respelling will give you a good start.

• Remember the old saying, “I before E except after C.”

• Know that adding a prefix doesn’t change the spelling of a word.

• Look for smaller words within a larger, more complex word. If you can spell the smaller words, it can get you closer to the bigger picture.

• Know that the second vowel is silent when two vowels are next to each other.

• Make a list of your most commonly misspelled words and practice spelling them correctly.

• Use a memory trick! For example, this one to help you remember the spelling of island: an island is land in the ocean.

• When in doubt, use thesaurus.com as a shortcut to find synonyms of the words that are easier for you to spell.

Commonly misspelled words

Spelling is a fundamental skill, but it takes time and practice to get the rules right. Even then, some words are just trickier than others and are often misspelled.

People often have the same natural tendencies toward making similar spelling mistakes. Here are a few of the most common reasons that people misspell words:

• Not understanding patterns or blending

• Inability to apply phonetic rules

• Reversing certain letters

• Misunderstanding of the relationship between letter sounds

• Inability to put spelling rules into action

• Not adding an apostrophe in the right place – or even at all.  

Not everyone struggles with the spelling of the same words or even makes the same type of spelling mistakes. However, some words in general are just more difficult for people to spell.

For example, this epic middle school teacher shares a bunch of commonly spelled words in this fun TikTok.

@queenbc84##inverted ##MyRoutine ##grammarcheck ##teachersoftiktok ##ela ##middleschoolenglish♬ original sound – Shuba

In addition, here are 20 more frequently misspelled words in the English language:

1.

Correct spelling: separate

Common misspelling(s): seperate

2.

Correct spelling: definitely

Common misspelling(s): definitly, definately

3.

Correct spelling: accommodate

Common misspelling(s): accomodate, acommodate

4.

Correct spelling: separate

Common misspelling(s): publically, pubically 

5.

Correct spelling: government

Common misspelling(s): goverment

6.

Correct spelling: receive

Common misspelling(s): recieve

7.

Correct spelling: independent

Common misspelling(s): independant

8.

Correct spelling: acceptable

Common misspelling(s): acceptible

9.

Correct spelling: piece

Common misspelling(s): peice 

10.

Correct spelling: grateful

Common misspelling(s): greatful

11.

Correct spelling: gauge

Common misspelling(s): guage

12.

Correct spelling: aluminium

Common misspelling(s): alluminnum, alluminum 

13.

Correct spelling: possession

Common misspelling(s): posession, possesion

14.

Correct spelling: perseverance

Common misspelling(s): perserverance, perseverence

15.

Correct spelling: questionnaire

Common misspelling(s): questionaire, questionnaire

16.

Correct spelling: rhythm

Common misspelling(s): rhytm, rythm

17.

Correct spelling: maintenance

Common misspelling(s): maintanence, maintenence, maintnence

18.

Correct spelling: exceed

Common misspelling(s): excede

19.

Correct spelling: entrepreneur 

Common misspelling(s): entepreneur 

20.

Correct spelling: misspell

Common misspelling(s): mispell

***

In sum, the best way to improve your spelling? Practice, read, and write often. You could also try Writer! Start a free trial today and keep your spelling game sharp with the power of an AI writing platform.

More resources

Writing 101

– 6 min read

Masooma Memon

Writing 101

– 7 min read

Masooma Memon

Writing 101

– 5 min read

Jessica Malnik

How to spell the word couldn't? – Rule

Home » Index

Contents

• 1 Rule for spelling a verb with the particle “not”
• 2 Examples of use and quotations with “could not”
• 3 Similar words

Correct spelling:

This is the variant recorded in the spelling dictionary.

The rule for writing a verb with the particle "not"

Sometimes confusion occurs when writing with "not" different parts of speech, when a noun or adjective is written together, and verbs and participles are written separately:

• Ignorance of the law does not exempt from liability. Dunno on the moon. BUT : Don't know what to say. Not knowing where to look for .
• Minor misconduct can ruin a reputation. BUT : means nothing.
• Unforgotten grandfathers feat remains in our memory. BUT : Do not forget old times. Not forgetting about the past. nine0008

Therefore, first of all, define the part of speech . In our case, this is verb (means an action and answers the questions: “what to do?”, “what to do?”). Now let's turn to the rules governing the spelling of verbs with the particle "not":

1. The particle "not" with verbs and verb forms is written separately : do not read, do not know, do not understand, do not see.
2. Verbs are not used without “not” : 0026 (light), not lead (from the word seine , but do not lead in the meaning of lead), become dumb, bondage, ill, undead (sya), itching and their word forms. In these words, the verb without "not" loses its meaning.
3. Verbs with the prefix “under” are written together in the sense of a partial, incomplete action: underdo, underweight, underestimate. Be careful with verbs starting with “to”, in such cases both continuous and separate spellings with “not” are possible. For example: Why not not finish drinking the cup to the bottom? - They were malnourished, did not drink enough , they gave everything to the children.

Thus, " could not " is the only correct option in Russian, other ways of writing this phrase are incorrect.

Examples of use and quotes with "couldn't"

I must have dreamed for more than one month, because I woke up anxious and looked for something for a long time with my eyes. … What kind of dream was that, the ram is decidedly not could figure it out. He only felt that something had invaded his existence... no fight, distinguish. … The father could not understand him And gave the land as a pledge.