COULD

File under “Woulda Couda Shoulda”: The Little Engine That Could, coudn’t.

Could it be true that English is composed of so many now-accepted mistakes? Could be, and is. Ever use the word could?

The past indicative tense of the verb can used to be spelled coud, but because the word rhymed with the past indicafves of will and shall—would and should —people began slipping the I into coud by analogy. Why do we make such “mistakes”? Because we can. And why did we make that particular mistake? Because we coud.