190+ Spoken English Contractions
Search, filter, and listen to the casual reductions, colloquialisms, and contracted forms that textbooks skip. Click any speaker to hear native pronunciation.
gonna
/ˈɡənə/= going to
"I'm gonna grab some coffee before class."
wanna
/ˈwɑnə/= want to
"Do you wanna come along with us?"
gotta
/ˈɡɑtə/= got to
"I've gotta finish this report tonight."
tryna
/ˈtraɪnə/= trying to
"I'm tryna get some sleep here."
dunno
/dəˈnoʊ/= don't know
"I dunno where my keys went."
lemme
/ˈlɛmi/= let me
"Lemme help you with those heavy bags."
gimme
/ˈɡɪmi/= give me
"Gimme five minutes to wrap this up."
kinda
/ˈkaɪndə/= kind of
"It's kinda chilly outside today."
sorta
/ˈsɔrtə/= sort of
"I sorta expected this to happen."
lotta
/ˈlɑtə/= lot of
"There were a lotta people at the concert."
outta
/ˈaʊtə/= out of
"We are completely outta milk."
whatcha
/ˈwɑtʃə/= what are you
"Whatcha thinking about right now?"
betcha
/ˈbɛtʃə/= bet you
"I betcha can't eat just one."
gotcha
/ˈɡɑtʃə/= got you
"Ah, gotcha! That makes total sense."
coulda
/ˈkʊdə/= could have
"You coulda warned me earlier!"
shoulda
/ˈʃʊdə/= should have
"I shoulda listened to your advice."
woulda
/ˈwʊdə/= would have
"I woulda called, but my battery died."
musta
/ˈmʌstə/= must have
"He musta left his wallet on the counter."
mighta
/ˈmaɪtə/= might have
"She mighta taken the earlier train."
hafta
/ˈhæftə/= have to
"Do you hafta leave so soon?"
hasta
/ˈhæstə/= has to
"Somebody hasta step up and fix this."
cuppa
/ˈkʌpə/= cup of
"Fancy a cuppa tea?"
c'mon
/kəˈmɑn/= come on
"C'mon, we don't have all day!"
'cause
/kəz/= because
"I stayed home 'cause it was raining."
doncha
/ˈdoʊntʃə/= don't you
"Doncha want to see the finale?"
didja
/ˈdɪdʒə/= did you
"Didja hear what happened yesterday?"
wouldja
/ˈwʊdʒə/= would you
"Wouldja pass me the salt please?"
couldja
/ˈkʊdʒə/= could you
"Couldja take a look at this document?"
howdja
/ˈhaʊdʒə/= how did you
"Howdja pull that off so fast?"
whaddya
/ˈwɑdiə/= what do you
"Whaddya think about this idea?"
y'all
/jɔːl/= you all
"Are y'all heading over to dinner now?"
all y'all
/ɔːl jɔːl/= all of you
"All y'all need to listen carefully."
y'all'd
/ˈjɔːld/= you all would
"Y'all'd love this new restaurant downtown."
y'all've
/ˈjɔːləv/= you all have
"Y'all've been working so hard today."
innit
/ˈɪnɪt/= isn't it
"It's proper freezing out here, innit?"
ain't
/eɪnt/= am not / is not / are not
"That ain't what I told you."
finna
/ˈfɪnə/= fixing to
"I'm finna leave in a minute."
imma
/ˈɪmə/= I am going to
"Imma tell you a secret."
boutta
/ˈbaʊtə/= about to
"We boutta start the presentation."
s'pose
/spoʊz/= suppose
"I s'pose we could meet tomorrow instead."
'sup
/sʌp/= what is up
"'Sup bro, haven't seen you all week."
whassup
/wəˈsʌp/= what is up
"Whassup with the website server?"
tell'em
/ˈtɛləm/= tell them
"Just tell'em we'll be 10 minutes late."
see'em
/ˈsiəm/= see them
"Can you see'em standing by the stage?"
lookit
/ˈlʊkɪt/= look at it
"Lookit that sunset over the ocean!"
don't
/doʊnt/= do not
"Please don't hesitate to reach out."
doesn't
/ˈdʌzənt/= does not
"It doesn't matter what time we arrive."
didn't
/ˈdɪdənt/= did not
"I didn't realize the meeting was today."
won't
/woʊnt/= will not
"I won't be able to attend tomorrow."
can't
/kænt/= cannot
"We can't solve this without accurate data."
couldn't
/ˈkʊdənt/= could not
"She couldn't believe her eyes."
wouldn't
/ˈwʊdənt/= would not
"I wouldn't recommend skipping breakfast."
shouldn't
/ˈʃʊdənt/= should not
"You shouldn't work overtime on weekends."
isn't
/ˈɪzənt/= is not
"Isn't that the new designer over there?"
aren't
/ɑrnt/= are not
"They aren't ready for the demonstration."
wasn't
/ˈwʌzənt/= was not
"It wasn't as difficult as we feared."
weren't
/wɜrnt/= were not
"We weren't notified about the schedule shift."
haven't
/ˈhævənt/= have not
"I haven't heard back from support yet."
hasn't
/ˈhæzənt/= has not
"The package hasn't arrived yet."
hadn't
/ˈhædənt/= had not
"They hadn't encountered this issue before."
mustn't
/ˈmʌsənt/= must not
"You mustn't touch the glass casing."
needn't
/ˈnidənt/= need not
"You needn't worry about paying for lunch."
shan't
/ʃɑːnt/= shall not
"I shan't be long in the grocery store."
daren't
/ˈdɛərənt/= dare not
"I daren't ask what happened to the cake."
mayn't
/ˈmeɪənt/= may not
"Mayn't we stay up a little longer?"
I'm
/aɪm/= I am
"I'm practicing pronunciation every single day."
you're
/jʊr/= you are
"You're making incredible progress this week."
he's
/hiz/= he is / he has
"He's our lead audio speech engineer."
she's
/ʃiz/= she is / she has
"She's been studying English for five years."
it's
/ɪts/= it is / it has
"It's time to test your pronunciation score."
we're
/wɪr/= we are
"We're launching brand new accents soon."
they're
/ðɛr/= they are
"They're listening closely to the studio audio."
that's
/ðæts/= that is / that has
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
what's
/wɑts/= what is / what has
"What's the best way to practice the schwa?"
who's
/huz/= who is / who has
"Who's next in the practice rotation?"
where's
/wɛrz/= where is / where has
"Where's the nearest subway entrance?"
when's
/wɛnz/= when is / when has
"When's the next session starting?"
why's
/waɪz/= why is / why has
"Why's the audio meter flashing yellow?"
how's
/haʊz/= how is / how has
"How's your pronunciation practice going?"
there's
/ðɛrz/= there is / there has
"There's no better feeling than fluent speech."
here's
/hɪrz/= here is
"Here's your weekly pronunciation breakdown."
let's
/lɛts/= let us
"Let's review the vowel sounds together."
someone's
/ˈsʌmwʌnz/= someone is / someone has
"Someone's knocking on the front door."
everybody's
/ˈɛvribɑdiz/= everybody is / everybody has
"Everybody's invited to join the webinar."
nobody's
/ˈnoʊbɑdiz/= nobody is / nobody has
"Nobody's perfect on day one."
I'll
/aɪl/= I will / I shall
"I'll see you at the workshop tomorrow."
you'll
/juːl/= you will
"You'll notice big changes within two weeks."
he'll
/hil/= he will
"He'll deliver the keynote address."
she'll
/ʃil/= she will
"She'll guide you through the initial evaluation."
it'll
/ˈɪtəl/= it will
"It'll take about five minutes to complete."
we'll
/wil/= we will / we shall
"We'll analyze every single syllable."
they'll
/ðeɪl/= they will
"They'll send your assessment score via email."
that'll
/ˈðætəl/= that will
"That'll be ten dollars, please."
there'll
/ˈðɛrəl/= there will
"There'll be plenty of time to ask questions."
who'll
/hul/= who will
"Who'll step forward to try the sentence first?"
what'll
/ˈwɑtəl/= what will
"What'll happen if we miss the deadline?"
I'd
/aɪd/= I would / I had
"I'd love to visit London this autumn."
you'd
/jud/= you would / you had
"You'd be amazed how quickly your ear adapts."
he'd
/hid/= he would / he had
"He'd never tried shadowing before."
she'd
/ʃid/= she would / she had
"She'd rather practice with British voices."
it'd
/ˈɪtəd/= it would / it had
"It'd be better to record in a quiet room."
we'd
/wid/= we would / we had
"We'd already prepared the presentation slides."
they'd
/ðeɪd/= they would / they had
"They'd never heard native contractions taught this clearly."
that'd
/ˈðætəd/= that would
"That'd be wonderful, thank you!"
there'd
/ˈðɛrəd/= there would / there had
"There'd be less confusion if everyone read the manual."
who'd
/hud/= who would / who had
"Who'd have guessed English has 190+ contractions?"
how'd
/haʊd/= how did / how would
"How'd you manage to score 98% on your test?"
why'd
/waɪd/= why did / why would
"Why'd you choose the British accent first?"
when'd
/wɛnd/= when did
"When'd the lecture end?"
where'd
/wɛrd/= where did
"Where'd you find this pronunciation technique?"
I've
/aɪv/= I have
"I've practiced every day this month."
you've
/juv/= you have
"You've made significant progress."
we've
/wiv/= we have
"We've completed the first five modules."
they've
/ðeɪv/= they have
"They've unlocked all eight achievements."
who've
/huv/= who have
"Those who've tried shadowing love the results."
what've
/ˈwɑtəv/= what have
"What've you been up to all morning?"
could've
/ˈkʊdəv/= could have
"We could've reached 100% with one more practice."
should've
/ˈʃʊdəv/= should have
"I should've focused on consonant clusters earlier."
would've
/ˈwʊdəv/= would have
"He would've passed if he'd practiced daily."
might've
/ˈmaɪtəv/= might have
"They might've overlooked the silent letters."
must've
/ˈmʌstəv/= must have
"You must've worked on this for hours."
couldn't've
/ˈkʊdəntəv/= could not have
"I couldn't've done it without AccentCoach."
shouldn't've
/ˈʃʊdəntəv/= should not have
"We shouldn't've waited so long to start."
wouldn't've
/ˈwʊdəntəv/= would not have
"She wouldn't've known unless you told her."
I'd've
/ˈaɪdəv/= I would have
"I'd've joined you if my phone was charged."
you'd've
/ˈjudəv/= you would have
"You'd've loved the pronunciation demo."
he'd've
/ˈhidəv/= he would have
"He'd've scored higher with better pacing."
she'd've
/ˈʃidəv/= she would have
"She'd've aced the test with three days of practice."
we'd've
/ˈwidəv/= we would have
"We'd've finished earlier if we started together."
they'd've
/ˈðeɪdəv/= they would have
"They'd've won the trophy with their fluent speech."
oughta
/ˈɔtə/= ought to
"You oughta know this by now."
useta
/ˈjustə/= used to
"I useta struggle with the th sound."
supposeta
/səˈpoʊstə/= supposed to
"We're supposeta meet them at six."
gonna be
/ˈɡənə bi/= going to be
"It's gonna be an amazing presentation."
wanna be
/ˈwɑnə bi/= want to be
"I wanna be fluent by next summer."
gotta be
/ˈɡɑtə bi/= got to be
"This gotta be the cleanest app design."
c'mere
/kəˈmɪr/= come here
"C'mere, check out this spectrogram!"
g'day
/ɡəˈdeɪ/= good day
"G'day mate, how's it going?"
ma'am
/mæm/= madam
"Yes ma'am, right away."
o'clock
/əˈklɑk/= of the clock
"It's already three o'clock."
ne'er
/nɛər/= never
"Ne'er did I see such determination."
e'er
/ɛər/= ever
"More fluent than e'er before."
o'er
/oʊər/= over
"Flying high o'er the mountains."
'tis
/tɪz/= it is
"'Tis a pleasure meeting you."
'twas
/twʌz/= 'twas
"'Twas the night before the exam."
y'all're
/ˈjɔːlər/= you all are
"Y'all're doing fantastic today."
giv'em
/ˈɡɪvəm/= give them
"Giv'em a big round of applause!"
tak'em
/ˈteɪkəm/= take them
"Tak'em along for the ride."
lov'em
/ˈlʌvəm/= love them
"I just lov'em to pieces."
want'em
/ˈwɑntəm/= want them
"Do you want'em with ice or without?"
need'em
/ˈnidəm/= need them
"I need'em on my desk by noon."
ask'em
/ˈæskəm/= ask them
"Go ahead and ask'em yourself."
whatchadoin
/ˈwɑtʃəˌduɪŋ/= what are you doing
"Whatchadoin this Friday evening?"
dunno yet
/dəˈnoʊ jɛt/= do not know yet
"I dunno yet, let me check my calendar."
howzit
/ˈhaʊzɪt/= how is it
"Howzit going with the new client?"
where'dja
/ˈwɛərdʒə/= where did you
"Where'dja learn how to speak so fluently?"
what'dja
/ˈwʌtdʒə/= what did you
"What'dja say to him?"
whydja
/ˈwaɪdʒə/= why did you
"Whydja leave the party so early?"
somethin'
/ˈsʌmθɪn/= something
"There's somethin' in the air tonight."
nothin'
/ˈnʌθɪn/= nothing
"It was nothin' at all, happy to help!"
everythin'
/ˈɛvriθɪn/= everything
"Everythin' is going according to schedule."
mornin'
/ˈmɔrnɪn/= morning
"Mornin' everyone! Ready for practice?"
evenin'
/ˈivnɪn/= evening
"Good evenin' ladies and gentlemen."
fixin' to
/ˈfɪksɪn tə/= fixing to
"I'm fixin' to start cooking dinner."
gimme a sec
/ˈɡɪmi ə sɛk/= give me a second
"Gimme a sec to open the application."
wait a sec
/weɪt ə sɛk/= wait a second
"Wait a sec, did you save the file?"
hold up
/hoʊld ʌp/= hold on
"Hold up, let's re-record that line."
g'night
/ɡəˈnaɪt/= good night
"G'night all, see you bright and early!"
d'you
/djuː/= do you
"D'you mind if I sit here?"
d'ye
/djiː/= do you (archaic/Irish)
"D'ye understand what I mean?"
who'd've
/ˈhudəv/= who would have
"Who'd've thought learning pronunciation could be fun?"
what'd've
/ˈwɑtədəv/= what would have
"What'd've happened if you didn't practice?"
there'd've
/ˈðɛrədəv/= there would have
"There'd've been no misunderstanding."
how'd've
/ˈhaʊdəv/= how would have
"How'd've they reacted to the news?"
y'all'd've
/ˈjɔːldəv/= you all would have
"Y'all'd've loved the keynote speech."
she'dn't
/ˈʃidənt/= she had not
"She'dn't seen the final slide yet."
he'dn't
/ˈhidənt/= he had not
"He'dn't arrived at the terminal yet."
we'dn't
/ˈwidənt/= we had not
"We'dn't anticipated such rapid growth."
they'dn't
/ˈðeɪdənt/= they had not
"They'dn't completed the homework."
it'dn't
/ˈɪtədənt/= it had not
"It'dn't crossed my mind until now."
c'mon in
/kəˈmɑn ɪn/= come on in
"C'mon in, make yourself at home!"
lemme see
/ˈlɛmi si/= let me see
"Lemme see that score breakdown again."
gimme that
/ˈɡɪmi ðæt/= give me that
"Gimme that microphone, I want to try!"
whatcha got
/ˈwɑtʃə ɡɑt/= what have you got
"Whatcha got in the backpack?"
dunno why
/dəˈnoʊ waɪ/= don't know why
"I dunno why this vowel felt tricky at first."
tryna be
/ˈtraɪnə bi/= trying to be
"He's just tryna be helpful."
gotta go
/ˈɡɑtə ɡoʊ/= got to go
"Sorry guys, I really gotta go catch my train."
wanna know
/ˈwɑnə noʊ/= want to know
"Do you really wanna know the score?"
gonna win
/ˈɡənə wɪn/= going to win
"With this pronunciation, you're gonna win them over."
all's
/ɔːlz/= all is / all that is
"All's well that ends well."
where've
/ˈwɛərəv/= where have
"Where've you been all afternoon?"
how've
/ˈhaʊəv/= how have
"How've you been feeling this semester?"
Practice all 190+ contractions in the app
Get instant scoring on your vocal pronunciation of each contraction, with repetition drills and audio comparison.