Những từ thu gọn thường dùng trong văn nói nhưng ít dùng trong văn viết tiếng Anh

Thu gọn là hình thức viết tắt của một từ, âm tiết, hoặc nhóm từ ở dạng nói hoặc dạng viết , được tạo ra bằng cách loại bỏ một số chữ cái (thực chất là một số âm thanh).

Tiếng Anh có rất nhiều các từ thu gọn, hầu hết bao gồm dạng đọc lướt một nguyên âm (được thay thế bằng một dấu nháy đơn ở dạng viết), như I'm đối với "I am", và đôi khi là cả các thay đổi khác nữa, như won't đối với "will not". Các từ viết tắt này được sử dụng phổ biến trong văn nói và văn viết không trang trọng, mặc dù có xu hướng tránh sử dụng trong văn viết trang trọng hơn. 

Các dạng thu gọn chính được liệt kê dưới đây. 

Dạng thức	Ý nghĩa
you've	you have
you're	you are
you'll	you shall / you will
you'd've	you would have
you'd	you had / you would
y'all'd've	you all should have / you all could have / you all would have
y'all	you all
wouldn't've	would not have
wouldn't	would not
would've	would have
won't	will not
why's	why has / why is
why're	why are
why'll	why will
who've	who have
who's	who has / who is
who're	who are
who'll	who shall / who will
who'd've	who would have
who'd	who would / who had
where've	where have
where's	where has / where is
where'd	where did
when's	when has / when is
what've	what have
what's	what has / what is / what does
what're	what are
what'll	what shall / what will
weren't	were not
we've	we have
we're	we are
we'll	we will
we'd've	we would have
we'd	we had / we would
wasn't	was not
they've	they have
they're	they are
they'll	they shall / they will
they'd've	they would have
they'd	they had / they would
there's	there has / there is
there're	there are
there'd've	there would have
there'd	there had / there would
that's	that has / that is
that'll	that will
shouldn't've	should not have
shouldn't	should not
should've	should have
she's	she has / she is
she'll	she shall / she will
she'd've	she would have
she'd	she had / she would
shan't	shall not
oughtn't	ought not
o'clock	of the clock
not've	not have
needn't	need not
mustn't	must not
must've	must have
mightn't've	might not have
mightn't	might not
might've	might have
ma'am	madam
let's	let us
it's	it has / it is
it'll	it shall / it will
it'd've	it would have
it'd	it had / it would
isn't	is not
I've	I have
I'm	I am
I'll	I shall / I will
I'd've	I would have
I'd	I had / I would
how's	how has / how is / how does
how'll	how will
how'd	how did / how would
he's	he has / he is
he'll	he shall / he will
he'd've	he would have
he'd	he had / he would
haven't	have not
hasn't	has not
hadn't've	had not have
hadn't	had not
don't	do not
doesn't	does not
didn't	did not
couldn't've	could not have
couldn't	could not
could've	could have
can't	cannot
aren't	are not
ain't	am not
'ow's'at	how is that