Aug 20, 2012 · Generally, people use can't in speech and informal writing, and cannot or can not in formal writing or very formal speech. Also (as @Kris points out in a comment), cannot might …

Apr 20, 2021 · This isn't really a duplicate, as both the question and answer are different, and include the form "can not" with valuable info as to when not to use it. This was exactly what I …

9 "cannot not say" would only rarely be used in English, and only in very specific circumstances. In particular, this is not a simple double negative. "cannot not" does not mean the same as …

Is there a difference in meaning and/or connotation between "can not" and "cannot"? I have read and seen both used interchangeably, but I know people who argue for a slight difference in …

Oct 29, 2010 · Why is “cannot” spelled as one word whereas other similar constructions such as “do not,” “will not,” “shall not,” “may not” and “must not” are spelled as two words (unless they …

Jun 16, 2011 · I cannot find the tool, it is neither in the kitchen nor in the bathroom. I dislike that punctuation and I would either use a semicolon or make it two sentences. But if the sentence …

Sep 19, 2023 · So here it’s about minimizing ambiguity: can not permits two interpretations, while cannot permits only one. Such care is critical in the language of mathematics. As another …

Dec 2, 2011 · Cannot is the only negative form that contains not rather than -n't. Theoretically, since it is a single word, you can say why cannot you... without a problem. My theory is that …

Oct 23, 2014 · 5 OED-cannot definition: the ordinary modern way of writing can not Both cannot and can not are acceptable spellings. There’s no difference in meaning between cannot and …

Dec 10, 2018 · Stick with cannot. Can't tends to be informal, and can not is usually considered a typo.