Would Have vs. Would’ve

The contraction for “would have” is “would’ve.” In this situation, “would” is followed by the present perfect (“have” plus the past participle).

Because the “ ‘ve” may sound like “of,” a common mistake is to use “of” after “would.” That should be avoided, but it is sometimes used in dialogue as slang or uneducated speech.

In a negative sentence, this contraction follows the “n’t” with its own apostrophe, making a double contraction with two apostrophes, “wouldn’t’ve.”

Wictionary offers an interesting list of double contractions, with some at the beginning of the word.

Examples:

• Coy would have bought a new car if he had seen this ad.
• Coy would’ve bought a new car if he’d seen this ad.
  • two contractions:
    • would have = would’ve
    • he had = he’d

• This Impala would have been perfect for him because it only has 25,000 miles.
• This Impala would’ve been perfect for him because it only has 25,000 miles.
  • would’ve = contraction of would have

• He would not have had to pay a big repair bill on his current car.
• He wouldn’t’ve had to pay a big repair bill on his current car.
  • Double contraction
    • “would” + “n’t” + “ ‘ve” with two apostrophes