Can not or cannot?
can not is a verb meaning “Alternative form of cannot”; cannot is a verb meaning “Can not; be unable to (whether due to physical inability, logical…”. can not is written as two words and cannot as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between can not and cannot?
| can not | cannot | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb | verb, noun |
| Meaning | Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see can, not | Can not; be unable to (whether due to physical inability, logical impossibility, etc.) Be forbidden or not permitted to Something that cannot be done |
| Example | none recorded | I cannot open the window. It is stuck |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈkænɒt/ /ˌkænˈɒt/ /ˈkænɑt/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | 129 times per million words |
Sources: can not and cannot in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of can not and cannot
can not
- 1
Alternative form of cannot
- 2
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see can, not
cannot
- 1
Can not; be unable to (whether due to physical inability, logical impossibility, etc.)
I cannot open the window. It is stuck
- 2
Something that cannot be done
the cans and cannots
- 3
Be forbidden or not permitted to
The Pupil after his Pupillarity, had granted a Diſcharge to one of the Co-tutors, which did extinguiſh the whole Debt of that Co-tutor, and conſequently of all the reſt, they…
- 4
A person who cannot do (something)
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, can not or cannot?
can not is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; cannot 129 times per million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search can not vs cannot?
“can not vs cannot” is searched about 1,000 times a month on Google and 180 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“cannot vs can not”, “can not or cannot”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.