# Is "that's" a word? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 23, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368 "2003-09-23T18:48:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cpgoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@cpgoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cpgoose)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/1 "2003-09-23T18:48:43Z")
I’m reviewing an important document at work, and I come across the word “that’s”. I flagged it as being incorrect because it’s not a correct contraction, like “doesn’t” or “hasn’t”. Someone else is telling me that it is a word. He looks up “that” at [www.webster.com](http://www.webster.com), and one of the definitions says “that’s a cat”. BUT, if you type in “that’s”, it says that word doesn’t exist. Now, if you say that contractions aren’t in the dictionary, just look up “doesn’t”. They’re there. Also, in the end of one of the dictionaries here, it says contractions can also be used to group words, like “he’s” or “she’s”. I guess overall, we agree that this word shouldn’t be used in a important document. But we use it so much, that it is very confusing. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/2 "2003-09-23T18:51:37Z")
Contractions of all sorts should be avoided in formal writing, but yes, “that’s” is a perfectly valid word. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/3 "2003-09-23T18:54:13Z")
That’s one way of putting it. See, there’s an example of using the word _that’s_. ---
**Author:** ![cpgoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@cpgoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cpgoose)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/4 "2003-09-23T18:56:45Z")
Look up “that’s” in the dictionary…not a word. 🙂 I’m diggin my heals in. That would have been crossed off in red if I put that in a college paper. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/5 "2003-09-23T18:57:06Z")
T’hats are on my head. Nope… skip that one. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/6 "2003-09-23T19:01:39Z")
“That’s” is only ever a contraction of “that is”. You may regard contractions as valid words in their own right, or not. It’s a matter of taste, custom and usage. Dictionaries tend to include some examples of contractions as words in their own right, and leave others out (to include them all would take up too much space). Finally, “that’s” and other contractions are always counted as one word in the sense of counting the words in a document. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/7 "2003-09-23T19:12:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > Contractions of all sorts should be avoided in formal writing, but yes, “that’s” is a perfectly valid word. Ding, ding, ding … we have a winner. ---
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/8 "2003-09-23T19:19:29Z")
The dictionary I keep on my desk (a paperback _Random House Dictionary_, 1978 edition) has this listed: _'s - contraction of: a. is: She’s here. b. has: She’s gone. c. does: What’s she do? d. us: Let’s go._ Though it doesn’t have “that’s” listed separately, I think the 's definition covers it. (Assuming you accept the authority of cheap 25-year old dictionaries.) ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/9 "2003-09-23T19:20:52Z")
I’d take a cheap 25-year old dictionary over an expensive 2003 dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![cpgoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@cpgoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cpgoose)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/10 "2003-09-23T19:23:03Z")
I just know my English teacher would be cringing. Oh well, I guess it was correct to flag it at least. (By the way, one of the Ford dealers near me has a BIG sign outside their place that reads… “Over 500 Ford’s available”. At least I know that one is wrong! (Right?) ---
**Author:** ![lesa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/34f0e0/32.png) [@lesa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lesa)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/11 "2003-09-23T20:24:00Z")
Try these words: girl’s boy’s bank’s life’s Also look up “what’s” - it’s not listed, but it is used towards the bottom of the definition in the phrase “what’s what.” So it seems they chose to leave out a lot of the 's contraditions. Unless you don’t think “what’s” is a word? ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/12 "2003-09-23T20:29:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cpgoose \* > \*\*Oh well, I guess it was correct to flag it at least. > > (By the way, one of the Ford dealers near me has a BIG sign outside their place that reads… > “Over 500 Ford’s available”. At least I know that one is wrong! (Right?) \*\* Correct. In this instance, one does not use an ‘apostrophe S’ to make _Ford_ a plural (and the cases in which one does are rare, so, watch your p’s and q’s). But, back to your assertion that ‘if it is not in the dictionary, then it is wrong.’ This is not true. Take, for example the possessive: **The _dog’s_ bone is under the chair.** You won’t find _dog’s_ in the dictionary. A dictionary would get mighty thick if it had to list every noun with its possessive ‘apostrophe S’ form. In the same way, no dictionary is going to show every possible noun that can be the subject of a sentence with a contracted verb attached to it. For example: The dog is in the yard. = The dog’s in the yard. But again, you won’t find _dog’s_ in the dictionary. And as far as usage goes… Contractions are no longer cosidered forbidden for ‘formal writing,’ although, one shouldn’t overdo it. And, as you can see in the preceeding sentence, the way _shouldn’t_ is used would be perfectly acceptable for formal writing. 'sPeace. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/13 "2003-09-23T20:42:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cpgoose \* > **I just know my English teacher would be cringing.** Good grief! I hope not! That’s a perfectly acceptable word. Er, “that’s” is a perfectly acceptable word. Ancient, too. Honorable. Parallel with dozens if not hundreds of other English words: it’s, who’s, where’s, she’s, they’re, we’re, I’ll, they’ll. Should’ve and could’ve are not quite as acceptable, but they’re also real and commonly used. (But not “could of” or “coulda”.) All of these are formed with the part of speech called auxiliary verbs, and I’m positive your English teacher is just cool with them. Auxiliaries are commonly swallowed in casual English speech and that has carried over into writing. Look up auxiliary verbs contractions on Google for more examples. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/14 "2003-09-23T21:47:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ianzin \* > **"That’s" is only ever a contraction of “that is”.** So the following exchanged are incorrect? It’s what’s? It’s that’s. Has that done it? Yep, that’s done it. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/15 "2003-09-23T21:48:28Z")
s/exchanged/exchanges/ ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/16 "2003-09-24T15:02:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ianzin \* > \*\*“That’s” is only ever a contraction of “that is”. \*\* Don’t know why you think so, perhaps the use of apostrophe-s to indicate the word “has” is something that’s not been explained to you? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/17 "2003-09-24T16:17:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lesa \* > \*\*Try these words: > > girl’s > boy’s > bank’s > life’s > \*\* None of those are contractions. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thats-a-word/203368/18 "2003-09-24T16:28:57Z")
The girl’s completed her merit badge for hiking. The boy’s not old enough. The bank’s open until 5 p.m. Life’s funny that way.