Can or cannot?
can is a verb meaning “To know how to”; cannot is a verb meaning “Can not; be unable to (whether due to physical inability, logical…”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) can is about 22 times as common as cannot.
What is the difference between can and cannot?
| can | cannot | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb, interjection, particle, noun | verb, noun |
| Meaning | To know how to To be able to OK, sure; indicates approval or acknowledgment | 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 | She can speak English, French, and German | I cannot open the window. It is stuck |
| Forms | able, could cans, canning, canned | none |
| Pronunciation | /kæn/ [kʰæn] /kan/ | /ˈkænɒt/ /ˌkænˈɒt/ /ˈkænɑt/ |
| In writing | 2,884 times per million words | 129 times per million words |
Sources: can 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 and cannot
can
- 1
To know how to
She can speak English, French, and German
- 2
OK, sure; indicates approval or acknowledgment
- 3
OK(?); used at the end of a question when seeking approval or acknowledgment
I cut this wire, can?
- 4
A container or vessel, especially for liquids, usually made of metal
I keep a can of fuel for emergencies
- 5
To seal in a can
They canned air to sell as a novelty to tourists
- 6
ceric ammonium nitrate
- 7
Abbreviation of cantoris
- 8
To be able to
Can you remember your fifth birthday?
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 or cannot?
can appears 2,884 times per million words; cannot 129 times per million words.
can 2,884 times per million wordscannot 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 vs cannot?
“can vs cannot” is searched about 10 times a month on Bing (Google reports it together with close variants, so it has no figure of its own) in the United States.
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.