When to use “would have” or “would of”

What does would have mean

Would have is a modal auxiliary verb, which is a verb used with a main verb to express possibility ability, permission, or necessity. Other modal auxiliary verbs include can, shall, should, may, might, must, and ought to. To improve your writing, learn more about modal auxiliary verbs.

The verb phrase, would have expresses a conditional or hypothetical situation in the past. The modal verb in this phrase is would and the auxiliary verb is have. This verb phrase is followed by a past participle. For example:

• I would have gone out to dinner, but I caught the flu.
• I would have cancelled earlier but I fell asleep.
• You would have known if you answered the phone.

Write with Confidence using Editor

Elevate your writing with real-time, intelligent assistance

Learn more

If you regret not going to the dinner, you can also use would have to express guilt about something that did not happen in the past. For example:

• I wish I would have made it to her dinner.
• I would have been a better friend if I showed up.
• We would have gone out to karaoke after dinner.

What does would of mean

Although they sound similar, would of is incorrect. It is a misspelling of would have. It doesn’t exist as grammatically correct phrase in English. Some people erroneously write would of instead of would have because that is how people pronounce the phrase in informal speech. When you contract would have to would’ve, it sounds similar to would of, so it’s an easy mistake to make. Here’s an example:

• I would’ve gone to her dinner, but I was sick. (Correct)
• I would of gone to her dinner, but I was sick. (Incorrect)

Although they sound similar, avoid making this error. Would of is grammatically incorrect and shouldn’t be used in your writing.

How to avoid confusing would have and would of

If you still struggle to use would have instead of would of, use these helpful tips to distinguish between the two. To start, try writing out the full phrase would have instead of using the contracting would’ve. Would’ve is correct because it is a contraction of the word would have. Of should not be used a preposition in this phrase. For example:

• I would have gone to dinner, but I wasn’t feeling well. (Correct)
• I would’ve gone to dinner, but I wasn’t feeling well. (Correct)
• I would of gone to dinner, but I wasn’t feeling well. (Incorrect)

You can also try replacing the modal verb would with another one – like could, should, or might. It will serve the same function in the sentence and help alleviate any confusion. If the sentence makes sense with the other modal verb, then you should use have. Review the examples below:

• I could have gone to her dinner, but I had the flu. (correct)
• I could of gone to her dinner, but I had the flu. (incorrect)
• You could have called her earlier to let her know. (correct)
• You could of called her earlier to let her know. (incorrect)
• She might have been more understanding. (correct)
• She might have been more understanding. (incorrect)

Would’ve and would of are similar sounding phrases. Remember would’ve is a contraction. Break down when to use would’ve to apply it appropriately. Would of is grammatically incorrect and should be removed from your lexicon. Now, you can put any confusion to rest on which phrase you would have used. If you need more grammar help, brush up on your writing skills with these tips.