You Could or Couldn’t Care Less?

If you don’t give a hoot about something, what’s the correct way to phrase it?

Saying you “couldn’t care less” about something means you are not the least bit concerned about or interested in it. In other words, you cannot possible care less than you already do.

Ask an English teacher and grammarian, and it’s likely they will agree that “could care less” is wrong because – logically – it should mean the opposite of “couldn’t care less.” If you could care less, it means you do care a little, right?

Apparently, dictionaries disagree. They’ve decided that “could care less” and “couldn’t care less” mean the same thing, and that it’s okay to use them interchangeably.

It’s true that “couldn’t care less” has been around longer, and there are multiple theories about why people began to drop the negative particle – from lack of education to the fact that it simply sounds better to leave out the “not.” But in today’s world, both phrases are considered informal and acceptable in everyday speech.

That said, if you’re using the phrase in formal writing, go with “couldn’t care less.”

Far be it from me to get on the wrong side of an English teacher!