He cannot swim. vs He can not swim.

Both "he cannot swim." and "he can not swim." are correct, but the more common and accepted form is "he cannot swim." The contraction "cannot" is widely used in English, and it is more natural to see it written as one word rather than two separate words.

Last updated: April 01, 2024 • 3595 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"He cannot swim."

This phrase is the correct way to express that someone is unable to swim. "Cannot" is a contraction of "can not."

Show examples from the web [+]

He can fly but he cannot swim.
I'm looking at a fisherman who cannot swim.
Pelenius falls in the apparently cannot swim. He goes under.
You can only slow down the moment in which you have to dive, even if you cannot swim.
Your beauty makes my head swim.
I've never seen you swim.
And after that swim, I might take another swim.
Let him go and take a swim.
We walked on the beach, had a swim.
That's the point of a romantic swim.
A pretty woman going for a swim.
No more 3 a.m. swims.
You loved to watch the walrus swim.
Lucky for me, Luther hates to swim.
All right, let's take a swim.
Time to go for a swim.
We might get the pool cleaned out, and then perhaps you could swim.
And I still can't swim.
And then we went for a swim.
It won't be a pleasant swim.

Alternatives:

he can't swim.
he is unable to swim.
he is not able to swim.
he is incapable of swimming.
he lacks the ability to swim.

This phrase is correct but less common in English.

"He can not swim."

While grammatically correct, this form is less common than "he cannot swim." It is more natural to use the contraction "cannot" as one word.

Show examples from the web [+]

It's just... I can not swim.
Witnesses say she dove into the middle of the lake but apparently could not swim.
Outside of himself, Pearce killed Cox when he discovered that they could not swim.
You drowned simply because you could not swim.
The typical rocky coast of Rovinj is not suitable for small children, especially for those who can not swim. However, among the rocky coves, there are many pebble and gravel bays to be found where small children can have fun and play safely.
People are able to swim, yet a considerable portion of them do not swim.
You may call a cat a fish, but it will not swim.
But I would say, by looking at him, no, Darryl does not swim.
And we know the only way that this can happen is when the caves are dry, because bats do not swim.
The swimming pool was full of muck, so we could not swim.
The shared pool is deep and is not suitable for children who can not swim well.
Your beauty makes my head swim.
I've never seen you swim.
He says he can not wait You teach him to swim.
He can fly but he cannot swim.
Good reception, the pool perfect and convenient for those who do not swim. I just liked the air conditioning in the bedrooms, but the house was well ventilated.
And after that swim, I might take another swim.
Let him go and take a swim.
We walked on the beach, had a swim.
That's the point of a romantic swim.

Alternatives:

he can't swim.
he is unable to swim.
he is not able to swim.
he is incapable of swimming.
he lacks the ability to swim.

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He cannot swim. vs He can not swim.

"He cannot swim."

"He can not swim."

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