isn't

[ iz-uhnt ]

/ ˈɪz ənt /

Save This Word!

contraction of is not.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

usage note for isn't

See contraction.

how to pronounce isn't

Isn't is often pronounced

[id-nt] /ˈɪd nt/ in the South Midland and Southern U.S., with

[d], /d/, a stop consonant, substituting for

[z], /z/, a sibilant. This substitution results from an assimilatory process in which the tip of the tongue, in anticipation of the articulatory position for the following

[n], /n/, touches the upper alveolar ridge. This same process gives

[wuhd-nt] /ˈwʌd nt/ for wasn't and

[bid-nis] /ˈbɪd nɪs/ for business. These pronunciations are heard from speakers on all social levels.

Words nearby isn't

Ismene, Ismoil Somoni, Is my face red!, isna, isnad, isn't, iso, isoabnormal, isoagglutination, isoagglutinin, isoamyl

How to use isn't in a sentence

"Baltimore will be hotter than the Place-as-Isn't," he said plaintively.
Average Jones|Samuel Hopkins Adams

British Dictionary definitions for isn't

isn't

/ (ˈɪzənt) /

contraction of

is not

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012