How it works
This contraction word search printable lists 16 contractions, each in a sentence, and hides the two words behind each one: don't is DONOT, they're is THEYARE, I'll is IWILL. A grid has no apostrophes, so pupils expand each one before they search.
Read the full guide
Five lists, starting with not
Under Start from a list, Not Contractions has 20, from Is not and Cannot to Will not, the one that turns into won't. I, You, We and They pairs each pronoun with am, are, will, have, would and had. He, It, That and There and She and the Question Words do the same for he's, she's, who's and where's.
One contraction, two answers
He's is on the page twice: "He's feeding the fish" hides He is, and "He's lost a tooth" hides He has. I'd, you'd, we'd and they'd each split into would and had the same way. The sentence in the clue decides.
- Untick Show clues, not words and the list prints the word pairs: a contraction word search free printable where pupils write the short forms.
- Have, Let Us and Odd Ones has could've, let's, o'clock (of the clock), ma'am (madam) and 'twas (it was).
- Short Contractions keeps to hidden entries of three to five letters, such as IAM, ITIS and LETUS.
Questions and answers
What is a contraction in grammar?
A shortened form of a word or a group of words, made by leaving out letters and sounds. In English writing an apostrophe usually stands where the letters were, as in I'm for I am.
What two words make up won't?
Will not. The spelling changes more than in most: will becomes wo. Can't is short for cannot, which is written as one word, and shan't is short for shall not.
Does he's mean he is or he has?
Either. He's, she's, it's, who's and that's can each stand for is or has, and the rest of the sentence shows which. This page hides both pairs and gives each its own sentence.