---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-contractions-with-discretion.md
title: "Use contractions where they sound natural"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "US government work, public domain; original synthesis in our own words"
license_family: usgov
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive, Use contractions, US government work, public domain; Digital.gov (GSA), Digital.gov style guide, US government work, public domain."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-09
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-09
as_of: 2026-11-09
confidence: medium
untested: "Editorial checklist only; not tested with readers. Sources fetched and evidence checked."
category: coverage-gaps
topic_area: "write-edit"
tags: [plain-language, style, tone, contractions]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "Use contractions"
    publisher: GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/conversational/use-contractions.md
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
  - id: S2
    title: "Digital.gov style guide"
    publisher: Digital.gov (GSA)
    url: https://digital.gov/style-guide/
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
---
# Use contractions where they sound natural

**Answer:** Contractions make writing more accessible and help people relate to the information. Use them where they sound natural, not wherever possible.

## Why

- "Write like you talk" is a common rule of writing readably, and contractions are the best way to do that.
- People are accustomed to hearing contractions in spoken English.
- The Digital.gov style guide sets an informal, conversational tone for its articles.

## Limits

- Use contractions with discretion: just as you shouldn't bullet everything on a page, don't make a contraction out of every possible word.
- Use an apostrophe to indicate possession, missing letters or numbers, and contractions.

## See also

- [plain-language-address-the-reader](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-address-the-reader/)
- [plain-language-simple-everyday-words](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-simple-everyday-words/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: Contractions are the best way to follow the write-like-you-talk rule.
  source: S1
  evidence: "the best way to do that is to use contractions"

- id: C2
  claim: Contractions should be used with discretion.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Use contractions with discretion."

- id: C3
  claim: Use them where they sound natural.
  source: S1
  evidence: "wherever they sound natural"

- id: C4
  claim: Digital.gov articles use a conversational tone.
  source: S2
  evidence: "use an informal, conversational tone"

## Sources

- [S1] Use contractions. GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/conversational/use-contractions.md . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

- [S2] Digital.gov style guide. Digital.gov (GSA). https://digital.gov/style-guide/ . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.


License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

---

Agents: [/agents.md](/agents.md) | [/.well-known/agent-library.json](/.well-known/agent-library.json).