can't help thinking vs can't help but think

Both "can't help thinking" and "can't help but think" are correct and commonly used phrases in English. They convey the idea that someone is unable to stop themselves from thinking about something. The choice between the two is a matter of personal preference, as they have the same meaning and are interchangeable.

Last updated: March 21, 2024 • 11120 views

can't help thinking

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to express the idea that someone is unable to stop themselves from thinking about something.

This phrase is used to convey the idea that the person is compelled to think about something, even though they may not want to.

Show examples from the web [+]

"I can't help thinking about it." "I can't help shopping so much." "I can't help working all the time." "I can't help smiling when I see her." "I can't help eating so much ...
«Can't Help Thinking About Me» — песня Дэвида Боуи, выпущенная как сингл под именем David Bowie & the Lower Third в 1966 году. Он был первым ...
thinking is a verb in sense so in the phrase I can't help thinking it means you can't help doing it. Think is not a verb so it's not doing anything.
The I can't help thinking construction seems to be ambiguous between these two senses: I can't help thinking he was hiding something. I can't help thinking ...

Alternatives:

can't stop thinking
can't avoid thinking
can't refrain from thinking
can't resist thinking
can't prevent thinking

can't help but think

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to convey the idea that someone is unable to stop themselves from thinking about something.

This phrase is used to express the idea that the person is compelled to think about something, even though they may not want to. It is interchangeable with "can't help thinking."

Show examples from the web [+]

May 28, 2012 ... I don't know of anyone who would hear the sentence "I can't help but think that he's a criminal," and then wonder whether I think he's a criminal ...
Sep 18, 2014 ... What's the difference between "can't help but" and "can't help". Consider two examples: I can't help thinking about you. I can't help but think ...
To me, the I can't help but think construction seems more oriented toward the first, rather than the second, sense: I can't help but think he was hiding something.
A. I can't help but think you are being unfaithful. B. I can't help thinking you are being unfaithful. (X) C. I can't help to think you are being unfaithful. 1. Are all the ...

Alternatives:

can't stop thinking
can't avoid thinking
can't refrain from thinking
can't resist thinking
can't prevent thinking

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

can't help thinking vs can't help but think