---
title: Contractions
pubDate: 2026-08-17T09:53:44.266Z
antora:
  editUrl: https://github.com/couchbaselabs/docs-style-guide/edit/main/styleguide/modules/ROOT/pages/contractions.adoc
  xref: xref:styleguide::contractions.adoc[]
---

[Consult the llms.txt file for a full list of contents](/llms.txt)
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# Contractions

Contractions are combinations of at least 2 words. A contraction is made by omitting 1 or more letters from 1 word and adding it to the end of another word.

Many contractions combine a verb and a pronoun.

## [](#do-not-use-negative-contractions)Do Not Use Negative Contractions

Do not use negative contractions, especially in warnings to the user.

Any `verb + not` combination should be written out in full.

For example, do not shorten `could not` to `couldn’t`.

## [](#do-not-use-informal-contractions)Do Not Use Informal Contractions

Do not use informal contractions like `wanna` or `gonna`.

## [](#do-not-use-complex-contractions)Do Not Use Complex Contractions

Do not use complex contractions like:

* could've
* might've
* must've
* should've
* what'll
* what're
* what've
* we've
* who'd
* who'll
* who've
* would've
* you've

## [](#acceptable-contractions)Acceptable Contractions

When writing technical documentation for Couchbase, you can only use the following contractions:

| Contraction | Short For…​           |
| ----------- | --------------------- |
| it's        | it is; it has         |
| that's      | that is; that has     |
| there's     | there is; there has   |
| they'd      | they had; they would  |
| they'll     | they will; they shall |
| they're     | they are              |
| what's      | what is; what has     |
| where's     | where is; where has   |
| who's       | who is; who has       |
| you'd       | you had; you would    |
| you'll      | you will; you shall   |
| you're      | you are               |