'isn't' - is it a word

Your friends are incorrect, isn't is a contraction for the words "is" and "not". ("Contraction (grammar) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isn%27t A contraction is a shortened version of the written and spoken forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters. In traditional ...") "Isn't - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/isn't Definition of ISN'T: is not . First Known Use of ISN'T. 1608. Browse. Next Word in the Dictionary: ISO Previous Word in the Dictionary: Isnik All Words Near: isn't"

In fact the same denotes 'Is it not?'. You must develop the habit of reading at least one of the English language daily newspapers.Though you may find it a little bit uneasy in recognizing and understanding words, the ordeal will be over with the passing of days. It is one of the best options to grasp English language skills in a gradual pace. The effort will definitely bring in welcome results.

I think isn't is a word..it is kind of like a tag name..it's a combination of two words, is not.. it even has a definition, which is why i think it is word. have you ever asked them why they say it's not?

Isn't is a short way of two words "is' and "not". we can meet many cases like that in English: didn't, hasn't, wouldn't,..etc. Some your friends are not nice when teasing the others about their English. English or the others languages are just the way for us in communication so that better don't go in a small thing when talking. We are not the language experts.

Anything that we utter is a word. Tell your friends to take refresher course.

"Isn't" is a contraction of the words "is" and "not", don't worry much if you have trouble with English it's an over complicated language where it has more than one sound for each letter, words have different pronunciation but are spelled the same,and many words are moot but exist.

Strictly speaking, it is two words. It is a colloquial contraction of "is not". The same can be said of "didn't", "aren't", "won't" (= "will not"), "shan't" (= "shall not") and many others. Notice that the apostrophe (representing a sound which is missed out and not pronounced) comes between the "n" and the "t", showing that the "o" is not sounded at all. Although it's colloquial and therefore shouldn't be used in formal writing, it is common enough that it's quite acceptable to use it in informal writing, such as a letter or a blog article where the intention is to give the impression of talking directly to the reader. Did you notice the two other contractions which I used in the above paragraph? "it's" and "shouldn't", which stand for "it is" and "should not", respectively. You should always be careful when using "it's" and "its". Both sound the same and, because "'s" usually denotes the possessive case ("The dog's bone", "Bill's bicycle"), it is often assumed that "it's" works the same way. When we want to refer to "something belonging to 'it' (whatever 'it' is!)" the correct way to write it is "its". A passage like this should explain it - "Grass is a plant. Its colour is usually green but when it's dry it turns yellow or brown"

it is,but it's a contraction and considered "slang" or low english. "ain't" means about the same thing,and is also slang. but most people will use either in many situations,because saying "is not" is a wee formal.

Isn't. This is a contraction. Simply put if you break it down, you have is not. It's basically a shortcut. Examples: It isn't going to rain. Or, It is not going to rain. "This isn't fair!" "This is not fair!" What's a contraction? It's a way to shorten a group of words to put it as one word, but they always include the apostrophe symbol. Examples: Can't, (can not) isn't,(is not) won't (will not). So yes, isn't is a word, but it is an improper word.

Roberten has really nailed it, showing it occurred in literature 3 years before the Authorized Version of the Bible was published. It may still be frowned upon in some circles to use it in formal written English, I don't know - it's probably better to use "is not" in legal documents, for instance, but it's (another word) a matter of style, not grammar. "It is not", "Is it not" and "Is not it" are somehow more demanding of attention and, of course, you can express more subtle nuances by stressing any of the 3 words above the others. I think, by now, that even "ain't" is a word. But don't use it, unless you intend to be funny, or characterize the person you're quoting, or deliberately use vernacular for some purpose (pardon the split infinitive I've inadvertently introduced!). Similarly "innit" (short, presumably for "isn't it"), which actually means nothing at all in practice; innit! Strangely, although "don't" is a contraction of "do not" and should not used in the third person singular (for which the correct contraction is "doesn't") W.S.Gilbert did exactly that. (Note that instinctively I used "should not", rather than "shouldn't" - I think this must be because I was expressing a rule)

"Isn't" isn't a word at all, isn't it? lol Well, in a serious perspective, "isn't" IS NOT a word. It's made of two words (like the "it's" I used at the beginning of the sentence, which is a fusion of the words "it" and "is"), which are "is" and "not".

Is not is the correct way to write but isn't however is acceptable. Both methods are acceptable in the english language in fact isn't might be even more acceptable if used in a conversation sentance such as. He said, "that isn't the case." Most people use the two words is and not together like that in conversation as well. Couldn't, shouldn't wouldn't. As far as a quality dictionary is concerned it is not normally listed. It would be redundant to say everything twice as a not. You can however use is not if you so desire. I do usually when writing. Your welcome, hope that helped.

A word is "something that is said" (Webster's). Therefore "isn't" is a word.

yes you said is right i will like your frankness . so many do not now how to use grammar but but they blame other this i the kind of situation i am facing and effected with it in my college life i also even does not now how to speak the other than mother tongue languages . but so many english movies , news papers , and frequently talking with the other and making some practicing helps me a lot in learning this language and now i am satisfy with my language , and when comes to your question i does not now the meaning when i am talking frankly

Hi there. I'm not so good in English but let me express my own view on this matter. We have been thought during our primary years in school about this thing. If I remember it well, "is" is a linking verb; and if you add "not" you are creating a negative form of a linking verb, "is not". Contracting it or shortening it, we say isn't, where we add an apostrophe in the place of the letter o. Same is true with should not, making it to shouldn't (i.e. aren't, wouldn't, couldn't, shan't, won't, etc.) I guess it would be absurd to say that all of these aren't words. Just sharing.