Contractions with apostrophes

Contractions with apostrophes: what children learn

A contraction is a short way of writing two words as one. Some letters are left out, and an apostrophe shows where they used to be. Do not becomes don't, I am becomes I'm and they are becomes they're. Children hear contractions all the time in speech, so learning to spell them helps their writing sound natural.

In Year 2 the National Curriculum asks pupils to learn to spell more words with contracted forms. The key idea is that the apostrophe is not decoration: it sits exactly where the missing letter or letters would be. In can't, the apostrophe replaces the letters no from cannot. In it's, it replaces the i from is. Once children understand this, they can work out the spelling of a contraction for themselves rather than memorising each one.

This topic covers the Year 2 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Writing – transcription (spelling)): pupils should be taught to “learning to spell more words with contracted forms”. Year 2 pupils are usually aged 6–7.

For families following US standards, the closest Common Core standard is L.2.2.c, which is taught in Grade 2.

How to play

Pick a card on the left, then the card on the right that matches it. Each game has 6 pairs. Wrong matches are counted as mistakes, and you get three stars for a game with no mistakes.

Step by step

1. Say both forms aloud. Read the full words slowly (did not), then say the short form (didn't). Children notice that the short form squashes the two words together.
2. Write the full words. Write the two words with a gap between them: did not. Contractions are always built from words children already know.
3. Cross out the missing letters. Cross out the letter or letters that disappear. In did not, only the o goes.
4. Put the apostrophe in the gap. Push the words together and put the apostrophe exactly where the crossed-out letters were: didn't. A finger space never appears in a contraction.
5. Read it back. Read the contraction in a sentence: 'I didn't see the bus.' If it sounds right and the apostrophe is in the gap, it is spelt correctly.

Worked examples

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• Putting the apostrophe between the two words (did'nt). Remind children that the apostrophe goes where the missing letter was, not where the space was. Cross out the letters first, then place it.
• Writing its when it means it is. Teach the test: if you can say 'it is' or 'it has' instead, it needs an apostrophe (it's). The possessive its, as in 'the dog wagged its tail', never has one.
• Mixing up they're, their and there. They're always means they are. Ask children to read the sentence with 'they are'. If it makes sense, use the contraction.
• Forgetting the apostrophe completely (dont, cant). Show both versions side by side and explain that without the apostrophe the reader cannot see that letters are missing.

Activities to try at home

• Hunt for contractions in a picture book or comic and say the full words for each one.
• Write contractions and their full forms on separate cards and play a memory game, turning over two at a time to find a pair.
• When your child writes a message or card, ask them to find one place where a contraction would sound more natural.
• Print the worksheet and ask your child to draw lines between the pairs, then check together with the answer sheet.

Ideas for the classroom

• Give pairs of pupils word cards (do, not, is, are) and an apostrophe card. They build contractions by covering letters with the apostrophe.
• Run a quick 'shrink it' game: say a pair of words and pupils write the contraction on whiteboards.
• Rewrite a short, formal paragraph using contractions to make it sound like speech, and discuss when each style fits.
• Use the match-the-pairs game on the interactive whiteboard as a starter, with pupils taking turns to choose.

Printable worksheet

The printable worksheet uses the same question generator as the game, so it practises exactly the same skills. It comes with a separate answer sheet on the second page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser's print menu.

Open the printable worksheet

Frequently asked questions

Related topics

• Suffixes: –ment, –ness, –ful, –less, –ly (Year 2 English) – Spell longer words by adding –ment, –ness, –ful, –less and –ly. A free Year 2 spelling game with a printable worksheet.
• Conjunctions: when, if, because, although (Year 3 English) – Spot the joining word in each sentence. A free Year 3 grammar game about conjunctions, with a printable worksheet.

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