I would must be followed by an infinitive without to ( or perfect infinitive as in I would have gone). I had must be followed either by an object (a noun phrase, e.g. I had a little lamb, in which meaning it is rarely contracted) or by a verb's past participle. So it's (almost) always possible to distinguish between them by analyzing the words that follow.
Examples:
I'd go. (go = infinitive => 'd = would)
I'd had. (had = participle => 'd = had)
The only ambiguous case is when the verb's infinitive coincides with its participle.
I'd put. (could be would or had)
But these cases are rare and the meaning can be deduced if more context is provided
Answer from Armen Ծիրունյան on Stack Exchange Top answer 1 of 5
22
I would must be followed by an infinitive without to ( or perfect infinitive as in I would have gone). I had must be followed either by an object (a noun phrase, e.g. I had a little lamb, in which meaning it is rarely contracted) or by a verb's past participle. So it's (almost) always possible to distinguish between them by analyzing the words that follow.
Examples:
I'd go. (go = infinitive => 'd = would)
I'd had. (had = participle => 'd = had)
The only ambiguous case is when the verb's infinitive coincides with its participle.
I'd put. (could be would or had)
But these cases are rare and the meaning can be deduced if more context is provided
2 of 5
2
It will usually be clear from the context. For example, in the sentence I’d like to have a million dollars, I’d can only be a contraction of I would. By contrast, in I’d been there some time, it can only be a contraction of I had.
San Jose State University
sjsu.edu › writingcenter › docs › handouts › Contractions.pdf pdf
San José State University Writing Center www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter
By definition, a contraction is a shortened form of a group of words.
Videos
08:53
Speak English Naturally with WOULD contractions: I'D, YOU'D, HE'D... ...
05:30
Learn English Contractions using HAVE | Could've, Would've, ...
04:50
Learn Contractions using WILL | Pronunciation and Grammar - YouTube
14:47
Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice | Contractions with Would ...
What are contractions?
Contractions are two or more words that are combined and shortened to save time. Typically, you can identify a contraction by the apostrophe, as with isn’t or they’ve—but don’t confuse contractions with possessive nouns, which also use apostrophes.
grammarly.com
grammarly.com › blog › grammar › contractions
What Are Contractions in Writing? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
What are some examples of contractions?
Some of the most common contractions in English include can’t, it’s, they’ve, what’s, and would’ve.
grammarly.com
grammarly.com › blog › grammar › contractions
What Are Contractions in Writing? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
When should you use contractions?
Contractions are considered informal, so they should not be used in formal writing like academic papers.
grammarly.com
grammarly.com › blog › grammar › contractions
What Are Contractions in Writing? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
Reddit
reddit.com › r/englishlearning › is it'd (it would) a common contraction?
r/EnglishLearning on Reddit: Is it'd (it would) a common contraction?
April 5, 2023 -
To my non-native ear, it sounds awkward to pronounce t and d together. Do you natives agree? Should I use it here?
Can you imagine? It would be hilarious.
Can you imagine? It'd be hilarious.
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › grammar › british-grammar › contractions
Contractions - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary
+ object + infinitive or -ing Help somebody (to) do Look forward to Stop + -ing form or to-infinitive Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing? Verb patterns: verb + that-clause Verb patterns: with and without objects Would like Would rather, would sooner Phrasal verbs and multi-word verbs ... Get passive Have something done Passive: forms Passives with and without an agent Passive: uses Passive: other forms Passive: typical errors ... Can Could Could, may and might Dare Had better May Might Modality: forms Modality: meanings and uses Modality: tense Modality: other verbs Modality: other modal words and expressions Must Need Ought to Shall Should Will Would
YouTube
youtube.com › learn english with emma [engvid]
Speak English Naturally with WOULD contractions: I'D, YOU'D, HE'D... - YouTube
Want to sound more like a native speaker? In this lesson, I will teach you many "would" contractions that native speakers use frequently without thinking abo...
Published June 15, 2015 Views 665K
WordReference
forum.wordreference.com › english only › english only
It'd = It would? [Contraction with 'would'] | WordReference Forums
January 12, 2017 - Well, the term "contraction" to me means "written contraction". If we're talking about speech, then unstressed "would" and "had" can, in the appropriate environments, become either /əd/ or /d/.
Speakspeak
speakspeak.com › resources › english-grammar-rules › various-grammar-rules › apostrophe-d-had-or-would
‘d = “had” or “would”
May 15, 2018 - The contraction I’d can mean “I would” or “I had”. Here are some similar examples: You’d = you would or you had He’d = he would or he had She’d = she…
Gymglish
gymglish.com › homepage › online english lessons › grammar rules: learn and improve - gymglish › contractions: 'would' vs 'had'
Contractions: 'would' vs 'had': How and When to Use - Gymglish
The auxiliary verbs would and had are both contracted to 'd. How can they be distinguished? • Would is always followed by a verb in the infinitive without the to:
Grammarly
grammarly.com › blog › grammar › contractions
What Are Contractions in Writing? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
August 10, 2022 - Only certain words can be contracted: ... he/she/it, they), and modal verbs (can, will, might, must, should, would, could). Even though they represent multiple words, contractions act as a single word. Moreover, contractions all have a definite spelling, which means you can’t ...
Scribbr
scribbr.com › home › contractions (grammar) | definition & examples
Contractions (Grammar) | Definition & Examples
May 2, 2025 - Contractions are words or phrases that have been shortened by omitting one or more letters (e.g., “You’re”).
Reddit
reddit.com › r/grammar › question: i am having a hard time trying to figure out if “i'ld“ (for “i would”) is a correct word/contraction or not. i really, sincerely believe, that “i’d” is the only correct form and spelling, isn’t it?
r/grammar on Reddit: Question: I am having a hard time trying to figure out if “I'ld“ (for “I would”) is a correct word/contraction or not. I really, sincerely believe, that “I’d” is the only correct form and spelling, isn’t it?
April 2, 2019 -
I only know ONE person, that uses the contraction “I’ld”, and she believes that this is an okay form to use. I really want to prove my friend wrong.
Top answer 1 of 8
16
I have never even heard of using "I'ld", although I may not be the most authoritative source. I guess the point of contractions is to take out letters, though, and it certainly is a contraction of "I would", but I would never use it because it seems more awkward and it is one more letter than the conventionally accepted "I'd". Also, how does this person pronounce it? It seems like it would be very weird, at least with the possible expected pronunciations of /ɪld/, /aʊld/, and /aɪld/.
2 of 8
14
“I’ld” is a seemingly antiquated contraction mostly used now by older people, apparently. While I think it’s technically correct, I think you’d be better off using “I’d” in virtually any situation.
EnglishClass101
englishclass101.com › lesson › ask-alisha-your-english-questions-answered-177-speak-english-naturally-with-would-contractions-id-youd-hed
Speak English Naturally with WOULD contractions: I'D, YOU'D, HE'D... - EnglishClass101
In this lesson, you'll learn about the "would" contractionsVisit EnglishClass101 and learn English fast with real lessons by real teachers.
Quora
quora.com › Hed-is-a-contraction-of-he-would-Wouldve-is-a-contraction-of-would-have-Is-it-ok-to-write-hedve-as-a-contraction-of-he-would-have
'He'd' is a contraction of 'he would'. 'Would've' is a contraction of 'would have'. Is it ok to write 'he'd've' as a contraction of 'he would have'? - Quora
Answer (1 of 10): Thanks for the A2A, Barney. Yes, it is absolutely okay. I can see why people might think it looks a bit odd, with two apostrophes in quick succession, but it's perfectly right. In Jane Austen’s time they did this with contractions like “sha'n't” and “wo'n't,” but we don't do t...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/linguistics › why is "i'd" a contraction for either "i would" or "i had" but not "i should"?
r/linguistics on Reddit: Why is "I'd" a contraction for either "I would" or "I had" but not "I should"?
November 13, 2018 -
Both "would" and "should" are modal verbs so is there some fundamental reason why one can be contracted and the other cannot?
Top answer 1 of 4
55
Because the "sh" sound is so strong that it doesn't get dropped. /w/ and /h/ are both quite weak so they're easily dropped.
2 of 4
49
There's basically never a "fundamental" reason for things like this. The explanation likely has to do with multiple factors: -as one user already mentioned, the "sh" sound is stronger. Another way of thinking of this is that the path of sound change it would take to get from this sound to nothing is longer. -there are good reasons why we wouldn't want to conflate meanings like "would" vs. "should". "Would" and "had" need different verb forms after them so we can distinguish them even if the words themselves are contracted. But "would" and "should" need the same forms, so they'd be indistinguishable. -Things like contraction happen more often with very common words. But "should" is significantly less common in usage than the other two words, so we would expect it to be less subject to those processes.
GCFGlobal
edu.gcfglobal.org › en › grammar › contractions › 1
Grammar: Contractions
The apostrophe goes in its place, right between the n and t. Let's look at another example. You'll means you will. This contraction is missing two letters from the word will: w and i.
Quora
quora.com › Whats-the-meaning-of-I-d-Is-it-I-had-or-I-would
What's the meaning of I’d? Is it ‘I had’ or ‘I would’? - Quora
What is ('d) exactly used for? Does it mean "had," "did" and "would"? Is it any sort of contraction? It is a contraction that stands for both 'had', and 'would'. The syntactic context w...
Grammarplainandsimple
grammarplainandsimple.com › home › parts of speech › 839. contractions with would
839. Contractions with Would - Grammar, Plain and Simple
April 18, 2024 - Certain pronouns can be combined with the verb would. I would = I'dyou would = you'dwe would = we'dthey would = they'd I would help you if I could.I'd help you if I could. We would make a good team.We'd make a good team. Use the verb would to make contractions. ▶Now you try it.
Quora
quora.com › If-would-ve-could-ve-and-should-ve-are-proper-English-contractions-why-aren-t-wouldn-t-ve-shouldn-t-ve-and-couldn-t-ve
If would’ve, could’ve, and should’ve are proper English contractions, why aren’t wouldn’t’ve, shouldn’t’ve, and couldn’t’ve? - Quora
Answer (1 of 83): I use those words (wouldn’t’ve, shouldn’t’ve and couldn’t’ve) all the time, usually only in speech. But that is only because my writing (although I flatter myself that I try to mime the spoken word) does not often use those words, (Too hard to type for a lazy like ...