Americans say 'I could care less' but shouldn't it be 'I couldn't care less'?

What it means: Both expressions mean the same thing: "I don't care at all." The intended meaning is "my level of caring is already at zero, it cannot go lower."

Logically, "I couldn't care less" is correct. If you could care less, it means you still care some amount.

Why natives say this: "I could care less" is an Americanism that emerged in the mid-20th century and stuck, despite making no logical sense. Linguists have debated this for decades. The leading theory is that it's said with a sarcastic, dismissive intonation, so the logic is implied rather than stated. Another theory is that it's a contraction of "as if I could care less" - meaning "as if that's even possible."

Whatever the origin, it's now so common in American English that correcting people sounds pedantic. The meaning is clear from context and tone.

Register: Informal and casual. Both versions are spoken, not written. In writing you'd more likely say "I don't care" or "I'm not interested."

A native would say:

• "I couldn't care less" - the logically correct version, more common in British English
• "I could care less" - American English, same meaning in practice
• "I don't care at all" - clearer and avoids the debate entirely
• "I couldn't care less if I tried" - emphatic version

Tags: American English, British English, common mistakes, idiom, informal