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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Could have versus could of

164 replies

Trendyname · 09/09/2025 12:40

Could have done.✔️
could of done. Incorrect

Explanation:

Could = ability in past. Being able to in a time which is past now.

Could have = something that was possible in past.

have is followed by past participle

Past participle is what we write after have in sentences. Eg done, eaten, bought.

could have + finished
could have + gone
could have + written
could have + done

Easier way to remember is:

The ‘have done’ after could is similar to when we use ‘have done’ in a sentence like
‘I have done all my tasks for today’
or ‘ I have finished all my tasks for today’

You ‘could have picked’ some vegetables on your way home.

We never say ‘ I of done my tasks for today’ or ‘ I of finished my work’

‘Would have’ has a similar structure in the sentence, the meaning is different. I think we all know the meaning but some of us use structure wrongly.

Would have ✔️

Would of incorrect

Maybe I am AIBU to post here, but I see so many people use it incorrectly here. English is my second language, so if you find any mistakes, please go ahead and correct.

OP posts:
ACatNamedRobin · 09/09/2025 12:41

Sadly the people who use "could of" won't be able to grasp any of that...

ACatNamedRobin · 09/09/2025 12:41

But of course I 100% agree with you... it's hopeless though.

FuzzyPuffling · 09/09/2025 12:42

That's an extremely long and complicated explanation of "never use "could of"".

Jackiepumpkinhead · 09/09/2025 12:43

YANBU - but are wasting your time, they don’t care!

Zodiacrobat · 09/09/2025 12:43

Yes the mistake has risen, I believe, from people hearing “could’ve” the spoken contraction of could have as “could of” and then writing it incorrectly.

I fear we are fighting a losing battle however as “could of” seems ubiquitous now.

PennywisePoundFoolish · 09/09/2025 12:44

I remember being corrected on that when I was in Yr11. I'd used of instead of have repeatedly in a history essay and my teacher corrected every one. I genuinely had no idea. I'm average intelligence, not dyslexic.

Thepeopleversuswork · 09/09/2025 12:44

What's the AIBU though?

You know you're correct and they are wrong.

Anyone writing "could of" has had a substandard education or has a neurodiversity or learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

What do you get out of hitting them over the head with a grammar tract and why should they listen to you telling them how much cleverer you are?

Balloonhearts · 09/09/2025 12:45

They're the same ones that claimed to have breaked hard. No you didn't. You braked. Its brakes, not breaks. You take a break or you break something. If you're talking about a car, it's brakes.

WafflingDreamer · 09/09/2025 12:45

It's just from the use of the contractions could've would've should've when most English people say them they sound like could of would of should of

chunkybear · 09/09/2025 12:45

It’s because of phonics in the practical sense, could’ve when you say it out loud sounds like could have - and people then put pen to paper and it’s wrong. Many people correct this as part of their schooling but not everyone.

LeaderBee · 09/09/2025 12:45

"Maybe I am AIBU to post here, but I see so many people use it incorrectly here. English is my second language, so if you find any mistakes, please go ahead and correct."

Maybe I am Am I being Unreasonable...
I'm just being pedantic...

Reminds me of when we had a "PPE Equipment" room over covid

A personal Protective equipment equipment room

HelpMeGetThrough · 09/09/2025 12:47

It’s wasted OP.

I’ve just had an email from a Director with “should of” and “could of” in it.

It didn’t have a “pacifically” but it wouldn’t have surprised me.

Purpleharlow · 09/09/2025 12:47

Were you just on the chalking on pavements thread?

Drives me mad.

See also the use of the word ‘women’ when the poster means ‘woman’. Examples being, ‘I just spoke to a women at the bus stop’ or ‘There was a women shouting at the neighbours’ 😡😡

KpopDemon · 09/09/2025 12:47

It’s because the contraction of “could’ve have” to “could’ve” sounds like “could have”.

Same with might’ve and would’ve but less common so it hasn’t become such a major grammar error.

LeaderBee · 09/09/2025 12:49

KpopDemon · 09/09/2025 12:47

It’s because the contraction of “could’ve have” to “could’ve” sounds like “could have”.

Same with might’ve and would’ve but less common so it hasn’t become such a major grammar error.

See Also: Americans saying "Do" for, Dew, Due and Do

"My check is do to come through by the end of the week."
"The do on the flowers glistened in the morning sunlight"

ShesTheAlbatross · 09/09/2025 12:58

It’s just people not thinking about the words they’re writing.

If you wrote “I have gone to that shop, I should of gone to that shop instead” does it not seem obvious that “of” is wrong? There’s no need to switch the “have”
None of the people who use it would ever say “I of done that”, they’d all write “I have done that”, but when they add should/could/would to the sentence, they switch.

Also I’ve had to go back and undo my phone correcting “should of” to “should have” three times while writing this (and now six more times for this current sentence). It’s actually quite difficult to force my phone to get it wrong.

chunkybear · 09/09/2025 13:02

HelpMeGetThrough · 09/09/2025 12:47

It’s wasted OP.

I’ve just had an email from a Director with “should of” and “could of” in it.

It didn’t have a “pacifically” but it wouldn’t have surprised me.

Bliney, I wonder if they were busy buying a chesto draws, a plumb tree or marshmellows so got distracted

PaddlingSwan · 09/09/2025 13:08

People forget that English, like many other languages, has a spoken and written version.
Could've being the spoken version, but written incorrectly as the person writing is not aware of the contraction?

JudgeJ · 09/09/2025 13:20

ACatNamedRobin · 09/09/2025 12:41

Sadly the people who use "could of" won't be able to grasp any of that...

I would be impressed that they can spell 'could' if they had such poor grammar!

JudgeJ · 09/09/2025 13:24

PennywisePoundFoolish · 09/09/2025 12:44

I remember being corrected on that when I was in Yr11. I'd used of instead of have repeatedly in a history essay and my teacher corrected every one. I genuinely had no idea. I'm average intelligence, not dyslexic.

20+ years ago a young excellent Maths teacher joined my Department, when we were a 3.30 moan generally another teacher commented about 'could of' and she was surprised, not realising that it was wrong!

CoffeeCantata · 09/09/2025 13:35

What they are saying is ‘could’ve’, but good luck trying to get that over!

I was an English teacher and I get that language is used differently in different contexts and by different people. I’m not bothered by incorrect usages in everyday speech by members of the public but I wince when the BBC or serious journalists get things wrong.

The BBC News site today says someone ‘was sat’ at a table….

Aaarrrggghh…use the present participle- it's ‘ was SITTING’. If they really were sat at a table someone must have sat them there by manhandling them. Newsflash: different words mean different things - use the right one to be understood.

Get it right, elite professional writers!

ThejoyofNC · 09/09/2025 13:36

Why do you even care?

My DH would 100% use "could of". I know it's wrong but it makes absolutely 0 difference to our lives. If I corrected him he'd probably say "being educated doesn't pay my bills".

He wasn't educated past primary school and earns enough money for us to live comfortably on a single income. He doesn't know fancy long words and doesn't know when and where to use punctuation and it doesn't affect us one bit.

It really annoys me when people feel superior over others because they have good literacy skills. I've found it's because they're usually lacking elsewhere, often in the personality department.

VeryQuaintIrene · 09/09/2025 13:38

Fair enough but it just doesn't seem that hard never to use "could of" because there is no nuance whatsoever about whether it's right or not, and it's not exactly a complicated rule.

smallpinecone · 09/09/2025 13:40

ThejoyofNC · 09/09/2025 13:36

Why do you even care?

My DH would 100% use "could of". I know it's wrong but it makes absolutely 0 difference to our lives. If I corrected him he'd probably say "being educated doesn't pay my bills".

He wasn't educated past primary school and earns enough money for us to live comfortably on a single income. He doesn't know fancy long words and doesn't know when and where to use punctuation and it doesn't affect us one bit.

It really annoys me when people feel superior over others because they have good literacy skills. I've found it's because they're usually lacking elsewhere, often in the personality department.

Why do people get so personal and defensive as though it’s a character assassination? It’s not. People are allowed to be annoyed by poor spelling and grammar. It’s irritating to read.

marshmallowfinder · 09/09/2025 13:43

Thepeopleversuswork · 09/09/2025 12:44

What's the AIBU though?

You know you're correct and they are wrong.

Anyone writing "could of" has had a substandard education or has a neurodiversity or learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

What do you get out of hitting them over the head with a grammar tract and why should they listen to you telling them how much cleverer you are?

They might actually realise they've been saying and writing it incorrectly and stop doing it. To save them from looking and sounding like a dick in the future? It's nothing to do with the poster trying to show their 'intelligence.' It's basic English and pretty easy to change when it's explained to you.