Can you care any less? If so, then “I could care less“, suits.
Otherwise, it’s “I couldn’t care less” : as in, there is no lesser extent to which you could care. You are entirely indifferent on the matter.
“Couldn’t care less” vs. “could care less “
To quote the Good book, Strunk & White on the topic (from the section on frequently misused words and phrases).
The dismissive “I couldn’t care less” is often used with the shortened “not” mistakenly (and mysteriously) omitted: “I could care less.” The errors destroys the meaning of the sentence and is care less indeed.
Shall I repeat that “the error destroys the meaning of the sentence”. An egregious offence indeed. So, unless you want to raise the hackles of Strunk, White, Wren and the other founding fathers of grammar, include the “not” (that is, unless you do actually care a bit).
Note: some online dictionaries (such as Collin’s Dictionary, and Dictionary.com) do recognize “could care less” as an expression with the same meaning as “couldn’t care less”. From Collins Dictionary: “In American English, you can also say that you could care less, with the same meaning.”
What the sources say on the matter
The question is one that gets people, (especially grammarians and English teacher) very hot and bothered, though for good reason. Let’s see what the sources have to say on the topic, starting with Britannica:
Both phrases are used to mean someone doesn’t care at all, but English teachers and grammarians will say that only “couldn’t care less” is correct, so that is what you should use in formal or academic writing.
Dictionary.com’s hot take:
Dictionary.com lexicographers aim to record language as it is actually used, without judgment, so you’ll find definitions for both … here.
Language, as it is actually used, sometimes includes common errors that we ought to avoid (like ‘could care less’). Ostensibly, the term is an idiom, and idioms need not adhere to logic; therefore, the phrase doesn’t have to make sense (this is according to Dictionary.com).
If you want to communicate well and unambiguously, our consensus is avoid ‘could care less’; particularly for any formal writing or business contexts. In conversation, it’s ultimately a personal preference, but just know that from a purely logical standpoint, the phrase means the opposite of what people intend it to mean.
“Couldn’t care less”, used in sentences
I couldn’t care less about the new game coming out.
I started to get irritated by this couldn’t-care-less attitude.
He couldn’t care less about football.
Personally, I couldn’t have cared less whether the ice-cream came from Italy or England.
Couldn’t care less (synonyms)
- indifferent
- neutral
- uninterested
- callous
- stoic
- apathetic
- unconcerned
- not give a tinker’s dam
Read about other misused words
Sources
- The Elements of Style, Strunk & White.
