Answer (1 of 7): “Why is the contraction for "must not" the word "mustn't" instead of "must'nt"? When were contractions like this created?” Well, the omitted letter is an “o”, which lies between the “n” and the second “t”. So ...

mustn’t  must not · won’t  will not · shan’t  shall not · wouldn’t  would not · she’d  she had; she would · you’d  you had; you would · she’ll  she will; she shall · you’ll  you will; you shall · she’s  she is; she has · you’re  you are · shouldn’t  should not · you’ve  you have · that’s  that is; that has · One contraction that is not on the above list is “it’s.” It is useful to note that “it’s,” a contraction, is often confused with “its,” a possessive pronoun.

Don't, contraction of do not · Mustn't, contraction of must not · Weren't, contraction of were not · Wouldn't, contraction of would not · Didn't, contraction of did not · The auxiliary verbs to be and will are frequently contracted: I am · I'm · You are ·

MUSTN'T meaning: used as a contraction of must not

by mid-18c., contraction of must not; see must (v.).

must not · You mustn't tell anybody that we've gone. (ˈmʌsənt ) contraction · must not · (ˈmʌsənt) contraction of · must not USAGE See contraction. Quick word challenge · Quiz Review · Question: 1 - Score: 0 / 5 · GARDENING · Drag the correct answer into the box.

This word is pretty confusing to me. Please explain. Does it mean must not have? ... Yes, this is a double contraction - the must is contracted with both not (giving us mustn't) and have (giving us must've).

This list is part of the internal Wikipedia Manual of Style. For encyclopedic information see English auxiliaries and contractions. This is a list of contractions used in the Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Abbreviations; these are to be avoided anywhere other than in direct quotations in encyclopedic ...

The meaning of MUSTN'T is must not.

Mustn't definition: contraction of must not.. See examples of MUSTN'T used in a sentence.

February 5, 2011 - The OED offers some comfort: With negative particle affixed 17– musn't, 17– mustn't Brit. /ˈmʌsnt/ , U.S. /ˈməsnt/ , 18– musent , 19– mussent , 19– mustnt; Sc. 19– musnae.

negative auxilliary verbs: contracted forms: pronunciation · Yasmeen from Portugal writes:

May 2, 2025 - Sometimes, a contraction can be a single word (e.g., “kinda”), but in most cases contractions are formed using words that often go together (e.g., “do not” becomes “don’t”). Only specific words can be contracted, like personal pronouns (e.g., “I,” “you,” “they”), auxiliary verbs (e.g., “be,” “do,” “have”), and modal verbs (e.g., “can,” “must,” “will”)

Not: he’sn’t free. We don’t use affirmative contractions at the end of clauses:

April 17, 2023 - You likely notice that before they are contracted, most negative constructions appear as two words (do not, must not). An exception to this is the word cannot, which is one word in the negative form.

August 10, 2022 - Contractions are a kind of abbreviation that combines two or more words by removing certain letters and usually adding an apostrophe. Only certain words can be contracted: typically small and common words (not, is/are), especially pronouns (I, he/she/it, they), and modal verbs (can, will, might, must, should, would, could).

MUSTN'T definition: contraction of must not. See examples of mustn't used in a sentence.

contraction · Must not. Webster's New World · Must not; used to indicate that something is forbidden or, in a tag question, that something is not necessary. If you see a hedgehog, you mustn't touch it. You mustn't blame yourself. We must go, mustn't we? Wiktionary ·