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“Cannot” and “can not” have different meanings: the former deals with impossibility, while the latter deals with choice. However, they are often used interchangeably. “Cannot” means lacking the ability to do something, while “can not” means choosing not to. The contraction “can’t” is a shortened version of “cannot” and should only be used when referring to impossibility. The two-word version is more common when emphasizing someone’s multiple skills. Despite their differences, the two terms are commonly used incorrectly and are almost interchangeable in everyday speech.
The main difference between “cannot” and “can not” is that the former term deals with impossibility and the latter deals with choice. The two-word version is also more common when a person wants to add emphasis to something or when he wants to emphasize that someone has more than one skill. Mistakes about how to use them correctly mean they are virtually interchangeable in normal speech, however.
Impossibility versus Choice
One of the most common explanations for the difference between “I can’t” and “I can’t” is that, with the first word, there’s no way anyone can do an activity, no matter how much they want to. The following sentences are both based on this concept of impossibility:
Jane can’t jump 50 feet in the air. We can’t go to Pluto.
In these examples, “can’t” essentially means “lacks the ability to”. First, for example, the way the human body is made and always functions will prevent Jane from reaching extreme heights, regardless of her fitness level. The second sentence is true because scientists currently do not have all the knowledge or technology that a mission to Pluto would require.
Conversely, when a person uses “I can’t,” the ability to do the action still exists.
Yuri can no longer study. Sam can’t get a drink.
For both of these cases, “I can’t” translates to “he’s not going” or “he’s choosing not to.” In other words, the subject has a choice. Yuri can study, for example, or he can go and do something else. Sam can consume a drink or he can leave it alone.
Impossible
Typically, a contraction represents the joining of more than one word, usually as a way to make speech shorter and more efficient. Contractions can also drop syllables within words, however, sometimes for a poetic purpose, such as sticking to a particular meter. A good example is “e’er,” a short form of “ever” pronounced like the words “air” or “heir.” Most experts say that the contraction “can’t” works like this and, therefore, is a shortened version of “cannot” rather than a union of “can” and “not”.
With the contraction representing “can’t,” technically, someone should only use it when it really means that the subject of their sentence doesn’t have the ability to do something. In common parlance, however, people often use it incorrectly. A person might say, “I can’t cook tonight,” for example.
emphasis
The word “can’t” rarely needs emphasis because the meaning is unambiguous: it always means that it is not possible for the subject to complete the action. The phrase “can’t,” however, is about options, and people can point out what they want to happen or what they will choose. A father angry about his daughter’s short skirt, for example, might say, “You can’t wear it outside the house, young lady!” Essentially, she would be pointing out that, even if he’s physically capable of wearing the offending clothes and going somewhere, he won’t let her, making her his choice for her. Similarly, when a person says, “You can’t be serious,” he really means, “You’re choosing not to be serious,” which is a roundabout way of expressing disbelief or disapproval and saying he wants the other person to stop joking.
Multiple skills
Related to the idea of emphasis is the concept of emphasizing that someone has multiple abilities. People usually do this by using “not only…but” statements, such as “Not only can she sing, but she also acts”. A person can generally rewrite a sentence like this to make dual skills a little clearer, like “he Can sing and also act”. The first build, however, draws a little more attention to the second skill, essentially saying, “Yes, he has skill A, but don’t ignore skill B.”
Commonality
While technically these two terms have slightly different meanings, inappropriate and widespread application has made them almost interchangeable in everyday speech. According to some sources, however, “cannot” is the most common version. Location has some influence on usage, with some areas preferring the single word and others preferring the phrase.
