couldn't
See also: couldnt
English
Etymology
could + -n’t
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkʊd.(ə)nt/
Audio (US) (file)
Verb
couldn't
- could not (negative auxiliary[1])
See also
- shouldn't
- wouldn't
- oughtn't
- Appendix:English modal verbs
- Appendix:English tag questions
References
- Arnold M. Zwicky and Geoffrey K. Pullum, Cliticization vs. Inflection: English n’t, Language 59 (3), 1983, pp. 502-513