why is won't apostrophied?

[bednobs]

well why? if the apostrophe is meant as a replacement for a letter that is not there (as in other words like can't) then what are the full words supposed to be? wo not? why isn't the word willn't?

[lcg]

you have far too much time on your hands! if it's a smaller person asking, you just have to say....it just is!!! ;p x

[bednobs]

no it's me asking (although i'm only 5 foot 2 inches)

[jno]

the standard form used to be "I woll not" (You can see several examples of this in old writing if you google it), so it turned into "won't". In the second and third person it was "you will not" and "she will not" but the "won't" abbreviation became attached to them too.

[lcg]

pmsl! i'm 5'2'' as well although mr kicker makes up for it (he's 6'4''). perhaps the person who invented the word just wanted to screw with people's heads and make them wonder about it? or... the 'o' represents the other bits missed out. either way, it's just one more example that the english language is completely cuckoo in origin and expression.

[Alan360]

It's like when the apostrophe is on the other side of the s. Is is something to do with singular and plural versions?

[bednobs]

it's not really like that though alan

[jno]

the commonest words are the ones most likely to have odd variations. Go, Be, Have, Will and so on.

In fact Go is two different words: in the present tense it's Go but the past tense is Went. That was really the past tense of Wend (as in "he wends his way home") but somehow the two got melded.

[Alan360]

bedknobs, excuse my lack of knowledge.

[karenmac60]

Bo'ness is really Borrowstounness. Not connected, but quite interesting :)

[factor-fiction]

It's bednobs not bedknobs, alan. Reminds me of the pster who always called me 'fuctor'

[factor-fiction]

poster, not pster!

[jno]

keyboards get so sticky in old age, factor

[boxtops]

I recall in ye ancient past, people would write wo'n't, and sha'n't - which looks odd nowadays, but makes more sense if you follow the rules.

[factor-fiction]

I'm not sure of how the word AINT was formed either and why it has no apostrophe

[heathfield]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain%27t

[MarkRae]

Ain't does have an apostrophe.

[craft1948]

Doesn't the word 'wont' without an apostrophe mean something else?

[boxtops]

.. nor does "innit", which I'm sure will be in the dictionary soon (if it's not already).

[boxtops]

Yes, it is my wont to do this... but then you pronounce it W-ON-T, whereas won't is woant.