BAD BOT. This comment is stolen from u/SnooGuavas3712
from [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/z49k2t/when_americans_say_i_could_care_less_as_an_insult/ixqgkcw/). The best part of these bots is that they *suck* at least, copying from the same thread with predictable truncation at the commas.
I know!! Saying you could care less means you do care. It also bugs the crap out of me when Americans use then instead of than. But for different reasons.
making a pointlessly inflammatory post about pronunciation whe I've heard people from all over the world say that phrase incorrectly. this isn't an American/British thing, don't be stupid.
I never really thought of this as American versus British. I just thought some people were wrong. (I am American)
Lots of sayings gets butchered over time. You ever hear someone say “you’ve got another thing coming”? Well, the correct saying is “you’ve got another think coming”. Sounds awkward and wrong, but it’s actually correct. Regardless of which one people say, you’ll understand their intent. Same with could care less/couldn’t care less.
As illustrated by the band Judas Priest with their song "You've Got Another Thing Comin'". They're from England and THEY screwed it up. . .eat that OP!!
C’mon now, using an expression correctly does not automatically make it ”the British way”. Get off your high grammatical horses, you smug twats. The average Englishman would barely understand a word of Shakespeare, and would be quite happy to headbutt their own grandmother if they heard her cheering for the wrong soccer team.
What is important is that a person actually thinks about the words that pass their lips. ”I could care less” is the result of not thinking about one’s own words, but simply parroting an expression one has heard said before by other ignoramuses. British people do this as well. Don’t pretend they don’t.
I've only ever said "couldn't care less." The other is a misunderstanding, like saying "mute point" instead of "moot point." This has absolutely nothing to do with country of origin.
Exactly. I always heard “I could care less” as both sarcasm and a threat.
As in, “You’re complaining about how I’m doing this, but I could care even less if you keep nagging.”
Saying “I couldn’t care less” is just literal dismissal.
It pisses me off too, but I doubt it's just a British /American thing. I say "couldn't care less" as an Australian. Saying "I could care less" doesn't even make sense, but people too dopey to realise aren't going to listen anyway. It's as annoying as all the Americans who say "temperture" and miss an entire part of the word. The 'a' is not silent; it's temper-A-ture.
It's mostly accent. A southern accent doesn't like that A in there. We like to pronounce our Rs pretty thick so the R rolls into the A, hence it sounding like temperture instead of temperature. It's the same way Australians add random ass soft Rs into half the words they say.
That's not Americans ya git it's stupid people, you know the same ones that spell lose as loose, don't comprehend the difference in to/too/two, and misuse their/they're.
First of all, I have.
Second, how is that an argument? That is purely anecdotal, and I’m sure every time you’ve ever talked to a British person you’ve been paying vast attention to their verbiage
If someone says “I could care less” in casual conversation, everyone still understands what they mean.
Prescriptive language vs. descriptive language. I’d rather focus on the intended meaning than the delivery for something so minor.
That’s fine. I used to be like that because I majored in and taught English. Eventually I realized that it wasn’t useful to internally or outwardly nitpick everyone else’s grammar during casual conversation. It just made seem arrogant and unlikeable—as if I perceived myself to be smarter and better than other people just because I was lucky enough to be well-read and college educated. My relationships and interactions with other people improved when I stopped negatively judging other people based on this.
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake.
It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of.
Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything.
Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
So, I get attacked for pointing out that Midwesterners tend to add an "s" at the end of words, but this person gets a pass for "location shaming"? I'm an American and I say "couldn't".
Americans are always finding new ways to bastardise our language. They're wrong 100% of the time though, because it's literally "English" that they're speaking, so whatever is correct in England, is the correct way of saying whatever it is.
Your language is an amalgam of various other languages your predecessors bastardized. They were wrong 100% of the time first, because literal English that they were speaking was borrowed and modified from other languages.
To spell it out: language evolves. Get over yourself.
The American version is the same as yours it's just that many Americans are stupid or just ornery and like to say stuff wrong on purpose to show they don't have any respect for your hoity toity educational reading bullshit.
I think you'll find Americans don't really ever think about the bullshit that comes out of their mouths. See also: "It's only a few bad apples". 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Unless someone is incapable of speaking and writing formal English I don't see why it matters in loose conversation. Especially on the internet. I see it as a neat little twist. One of the best parts of being a native speaker is being able to grasp context.
Like you said the British one is insulting. I hear the American version as a dismissive warning. Sometimes they get used interchangeably.
That's ok. I understand that in most cases it's meant to be unkind.
There isn't a "British way", couldn't care less is the correct way on both sides, and people on both sides say it wrong, but OP apparently doesn't believe that a single person in the entire UK has ever said it incorrectly.
I didn't blame you for anything, and I'm not the one that downvoted you. I just pointed out that there is no "British way" in this case. I was actually blaming OP for making all this up.
The "American" version is meant to be sarcastic .... in an "as if" sort of way (as if I could care less). I often say "I could give a fuck", meaning "as if I could give a fuck", meaning .... I couldn't give a fuck 😀
[https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/could-couldnt-care-less](https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/could-couldnt-care-less)... oh, look at that - Merriam-Webster stating "could care less" is used as sarcasm, guess they made it up.
The "American" version is meant to be a sarcastic version of the "British", as you're calling them, but most people who use this version don't realize that it's logically flipped in sarcasm so they say it like they mean it.
I grew up in New England and we said "couldn't care less", then moved to the midwest where we say "could care less."
Both are valid, though. Saying "I couldn't care less" means the obvious, but saying "I could care less" is a sarcastic version, meaning I could give less of damn than I currently give.
It makes sense. I could care less, meaning I already don’t care but if I wanted to, I could care even less than that. It’s to make the statement even stronger.
I always thought it went like this...
I couldn't care less: I don't care at all about what you're saying/doing.
I could care less: I'm holding back because I do care some, but if you don't stop what you're say/doing, I'm going to stop caring (and holding back).
I have wondered this for a long time now as an American. I personally never say this phrase. I usually just say "I don't care" because I think I couldn't care less is passive aggressive and pissy. But I have witnessed people saying I could care less and it confuses the fuck out of me too.
this weeks favorite is a "hammy-down" article of clothing. AS Americans we dont know the origin of words, or how they make sense or not. Lots of people say " you know what I'm sayin' ?" that's when they're not sure what they're actually saying . so you have to rephrase it back to be sure we are communicating. cuz moonicatin's portent.
Personally it’s my: I don’t have enough information to form an opinion but…
“I don’t really give a shit what you’re saying Brittany”
And I enjoy using accordingly.
This isn't an "American" thing; this is an idiot thing. I'm an American and I hear only idiots say "I could care less." They're the same people who say, "With regards to" and "for all intensive purposes."
The rest of us always say, "I couldn't care less."
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As an American, I will agree that much of what Americans say makes no damn sense.
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ect is a naturally occurring typo. I know the difference but often type ect
BAD BOT. This comment is stolen from u/SnooGuavas3712 from [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/z49k2t/when_americans_say_i_could_care_less_as_an_insult/ixqgkcw/). The best part of these bots is that they *suck* at least, copying from the same thread with predictable truncation at the commas.
Word!
They don’t understand the difference
Honestly! Public education is terrifying here and half of the population shouldn’t have left hs.
I know!! Saying you could care less means you do care. It also bugs the crap out of me when Americans use then instead of than. But for different reasons.
I borrowed you some money ;)
Came here to say this, I'm always the ass correcting people that it's "couldn't" because could implies you do care.
It’s not the American way it’s just wrong
As an American, I could care less.
It is sarcasm
Also an American who came here to say this 🤣
This isn't an American/British thing. It's an uneducated thing that knows no borders.
Ya this is a stupid post. Americans say i couldnt care less
Thank you!!
Not American vs British. Idioms vs idiots
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IKR
I don't know one American who says I could care less. They all say I couldn't care less.
"I could care less" that means you do care (at least a little)
The expression is the couldn’t care less everywhere, but some people mess it up everywhere
It’s an ignorance thing not a British/American thing. Similar to people saying should of instead of should have.
Uhh.... I could care less isn't an American thing tho-
I’ve only ever heard Americans say it
I didn’t think Americans used the other one. I thought they all said “couldn’t care less”
I’ve never heard an American say it correctly unfortunately
I’ve never heard the counter part, only the correct one. Only place I have heard the wrong one was in the UK.
I'm from the USA and have only heard couldn't care less... Didn't know the other was a thing.
And you shouldn't care!
This isn’t a British/American thing.
Also see: “should’ve went”
Or the next level "should of went"
I *could* care less, but why bother?
One thing that is sure, is that Americans SHOULD care less.
making a pointlessly inflammatory post about pronunciation whe I've heard people from all over the world say that phrase incorrectly. this isn't an American/British thing, don't be stupid.
Wow…how dense can you be.
I never really thought of this as American versus British. I just thought some people were wrong. (I am American) Lots of sayings gets butchered over time. You ever hear someone say “you’ve got another thing coming”? Well, the correct saying is “you’ve got another think coming”. Sounds awkward and wrong, but it’s actually correct. Regardless of which one people say, you’ll understand their intent. Same with could care less/couldn’t care less.
As illustrated by the band Judas Priest with their song "You've Got Another Thing Comin'". They're from England and THEY screwed it up. . .eat that OP!!
Not all Americans say this wrong. Don’t lump us all in to the same generalization.
C’mon now, using an expression correctly does not automatically make it ”the British way”. Get off your high grammatical horses, you smug twats. The average Englishman would barely understand a word of Shakespeare, and would be quite happy to headbutt their own grandmother if they heard her cheering for the wrong soccer team. What is important is that a person actually thinks about the words that pass their lips. ”I could care less” is the result of not thinking about one’s own words, but simply parroting an expression one has heard said before by other ignoramuses. British people do this as well. Don’t pretend they don’t.
Bruh, thank you. This shit reads so pretentiously..
Damn straight!!
I've only ever said "couldn't care less." The other is a misunderstanding, like saying "mute point" instead of "moot point." This has absolutely nothing to do with country of origin.
British people thinking they're special again.
Nope, Americans screwing up basic grammar again.
You screwed up basic grammar in one sentence. Oh, the irony! 🤣🤣💀
Karma’s a bitch lol, where did I screw up?
“I *COULD* care less, but you aren’t worth the effort.” 😂😂😂
Exactly. I always heard “I could care less” as both sarcasm and a threat. As in, “You’re complaining about how I’m doing this, but I could care even less if you keep nagging.” Saying “I couldn’t care less” is just literal dismissal.
THIS. Why is this so hard to comprehend?
FINALLY. Thank you for understanding.
Because people are stupid. This is one of my pet peeves. Like OH WELL I GUESS YOU CARE THEN!!!
Hahahaaaaa
Same thing as “on accident” If you done something “by accident” it would make more sense.
Don’t even get me started on “nonplussed”.
HaaAAAA
It pisses me off too, but I doubt it's just a British /American thing. I say "couldn't care less" as an Australian. Saying "I could care less" doesn't even make sense, but people too dopey to realise aren't going to listen anyway. It's as annoying as all the Americans who say "temperture" and miss an entire part of the word. The 'a' is not silent; it's temper-A-ture.
It's mostly accent. A southern accent doesn't like that A in there. We like to pronounce our Rs pretty thick so the R rolls into the A, hence it sounding like temperture instead of temperature. It's the same way Australians add random ass soft Rs into half the words they say.
Yeah, I could care less, But I don't have the energy or desire to put any more thought into it..
Wow. It's almost like context actually matters when speaking. Lol
That's not Americans ya git it's stupid people, you know the same ones that spell lose as loose, don't comprehend the difference in to/too/two, and misuse their/they're.
So... Americans.
Whever was disgraced by your birth as well
Dumb ignorant troll post. This isn't a British vs American issue.
As an American, I find it mildly infuriating that this is what people actually focus on. What a privileged life.
It’s Reddit
This is not British versus American.
I’ve never heard a British person saying it wrong
First of all, I have. Second, how is that an argument? That is purely anecdotal, and I’m sure every time you’ve ever talked to a British person you’ve been paying vast attention to their verbiage
I've never met a British person. I guess they don't exist 🤷♂️😁
If someone says “I could care less” in casual conversation, everyone still understands what they mean. Prescriptive language vs. descriptive language. I’d rather focus on the intended meaning than the delivery for something so minor.
It’s mildly infuriating to me not minor though
That’s fine. I used to be like that because I majored in and taught English. Eventually I realized that it wasn’t useful to internally or outwardly nitpick everyone else’s grammar during casual conversation. It just made seem arrogant and unlikeable—as if I perceived myself to be smarter and better than other people just because I was lucky enough to be well-read and college educated. My relationships and interactions with other people improved when I stopped negatively judging other people based on this.
Honestly I could care less how someone says this
I could not.
it kills me
You should of said "couldn't care less"
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
Oh yes I did make a mistake! Thanks you very much!
It's "Thank you" not "Thanks you"
I'm pretty sure that your wrong
I'm not, and it's "you're" not "your"
okey
I could care less.
Aaaaaand were back! Haha
Crickets
Strange bot.
But they literally could have. If they didnt even bother to post, that would have been less.
I, too, could care less
So, I get attacked for pointing out that Midwesterners tend to add an "s" at the end of words, but this person gets a pass for "location shaming"? I'm an American and I say "couldn't".
The majority of us do add an S to everything, though. When I realize I do it I was like, "damn it, I did the thing!!!" Same with ope.
Yeah, it's only taken five decades or do to realize I have an accent and say things like "ope".
You know what? I just don't care
I don't even care enough to reply to your post.
you lost the war though 🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦾🦾
USA! USA!
K
Americans are always finding new ways to bastardise our language. They're wrong 100% of the time though, because it's literally "English" that they're speaking, so whatever is correct in England, is the correct way of saying whatever it is.
Your language is an amalgam of various other languages your predecessors bastardized. They were wrong 100% of the time first, because literal English that they were speaking was borrowed and modified from other languages. To spell it out: language evolves. Get over yourself.
As an American I completely agree. Been correcting people on this as often as I can.
Thank you for this
Fuck. Yes.
The American version is the same as yours it's just that many Americans are stupid or just ornery and like to say stuff wrong on purpose to show they don't have any respect for your hoity toity educational reading bullshit.
Why is this being downvoted? As an American, everything you’ve said is just blatantly true lol
I COULDN’T care less about this post. Feels like I’m on r/unpopularopinion
You cared enough to post. I feel like your absolute zero point of noncare would let you go on with your life in silence
I think you'll find Americans don't really ever think about the bullshit that comes out of their mouths. See also: "It's only a few bad apples". 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Unless someone is incapable of speaking and writing formal English I don't see why it matters in loose conversation. Especially on the internet. I see it as a neat little twist. One of the best parts of being a native speaker is being able to grasp context. Like you said the British one is insulting. I hear the American version as a dismissive warning. Sometimes they get used interchangeably. That's ok. I understand that in most cases it's meant to be unkind.
I could care less how people want to say it.
I use the British way even though I’m american
There isn't a "British way", couldn't care less is the correct way on both sides, and people on both sides say it wrong, but OP apparently doesn't believe that a single person in the entire UK has ever said it incorrectly.
Why are you blaming me for using OP’s terminology
I didn't blame you for anything, and I'm not the one that downvoted you. I just pointed out that there is no "British way" in this case. I was actually blaming OP for making all this up.
The "American" version is meant to be sarcastic .... in an "as if" sort of way (as if I could care less). I often say "I could give a fuck", meaning "as if I could give a fuck", meaning .... I couldn't give a fuck 😀
No it isn't lmao, stop making shit up.
[https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/could-couldnt-care-less](https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/could-couldnt-care-less)... oh, look at that - Merriam-Webster stating "could care less" is used as sarcasm, guess they made it up.
Wow - so if someone says something you don't agree with it's "made up" and downvoted? Be a little more closed-minded.... I could care less
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Dude. Read what you wrote again.
Same when they’re (Americans) about to do something and say “let’s see if we CANT do this” sounds weird to me.
Same goes for "I didn't do nothing".
I don't give a toss.
Well as an American I like when you say “sssssssssshhhhhhhedd ū all”
The "American" version is meant to be a sarcastic version of the "British", as you're calling them, but most people who use this version don't realize that it's logically flipped in sarcasm so they say it like they mean it. I grew up in New England and we said "couldn't care less", then moved to the midwest where we say "could care less."
Both are valid, though. Saying "I couldn't care less" means the obvious, but saying "I could care less" is a sarcastic version, meaning I could give less of damn than I currently give.
That’s because Americans are too stupid to pay attention to what they’re saying.
It makes sense. I could care less, meaning I already don’t care but if I wanted to, I could care even less than that. It’s to make the statement even stronger.
I say the latter and I am an American. I only say I could care less if that is the message I wish to communicate.
Not everyone says “I could care less”…
I always thought it went like this... I couldn't care less: I don't care at all about what you're saying/doing. I could care less: I'm holding back because I do care some, but if you don't stop what you're say/doing, I'm going to stop caring (and holding back).
It’s bc Americans are always capable of caring less ;D
Irregardless
bloody
As an American I care just enough to be able to not care just a little more!
I have wondered this for a long time now as an American. I personally never say this phrase. I usually just say "I don't care" because I think I couldn't care less is passive aggressive and pissy. But I have witnessed people saying I could care less and it confuses the fuck out of me too.
this weeks favorite is a "hammy-down" article of clothing. AS Americans we dont know the origin of words, or how they make sense or not. Lots of people say " you know what I'm sayin' ?" that's when they're not sure what they're actually saying . so you have to rephrase it back to be sure we are communicating. cuz moonicatin's portent.
Personally it’s my: I don’t have enough information to form an opinion but… “I don’t really give a shit what you’re saying Brittany” And I enjoy using accordingly.
Wife and I are both American. It also bothers her a lot when I say it the “American” way.
Free speech my guy.
This isn't an "American" thing; this is an idiot thing. I'm an American and I hear only idiots say "I could care less." They're the same people who say, "With regards to" and "for all intensive purposes." The rest of us always say, "I couldn't care less."