Word Choice Content vs. Contents

Word Choice Content vs. Contents Word Choice: Content vs. Contents If you’re used to English pluralization, you might assume â€Å"contents† is just the plural of â€Å"content.† And both terms do have a general sense of â€Å"something within something.† But there is a difference between these words, so check out our guide below to make sure your writing is error free. Content (Uncountable Noun) The singular â€Å"content† is typically an uncountable noun. Uncountable nouns are terms that refer to something as an undifferentiated whole, such as â€Å"water† or â€Å"sand.† The main use of â€Å"content,† then, is to refer to something within something else as a whole: The content of the wedding speech made the groom blush. Croissants have a very high fat content. In the first sentence above, for instance, the â€Å"container† is the wedding speech. So when we say â€Å"content,† we mean â€Å"what the speech says as a whole.† And in the second sentence, the â€Å"container† is the croissant, so the â€Å"content† is the fat in the croissant. In both cases, though, â€Å"content† involves treating something as a whole, not as separate items. Contents (Countable Noun) The plural â€Å"contents† is usually a countable noun. We thus use it when we can separate the â€Å"content† of something into individual items, like chapters in a book or items in a bag. For example: I checked the table of contents to find the appendix. The contents of her shopping bag spilled across the ground. As such, using â€Å"contents† shows that we’re treating each item of content as a separate thing rather than lumping them together as a whole. A table of contents. â€Å"Content† as a Verb and Adjective We’ve looked at the noun â€Å"content† above, but this word can also be a verb or an adjective. As a verb, it means â€Å"satisfy† or â€Å"induce a state of contentment†: He contented himself with watching the TV. The third-person singular form of this is â€Å"contents.† This is the only time you will need this spelling other than when it’s a countable noun. As an adjective, meanwhile, â€Å"content† means â€Å"pleased or satisfied†: I was content to spend my life proofreading. But the adjectival form of this word is only ever spelled â€Å"content.† Summary: Content vs. Contents While â€Å"content† and â€Å"contents† can both mean â€Å"something contained within something,† there’s usually a subtle difference in how we use these terms: Content is an uncountable noun. We use it when referring to the contained thing as an undifferentiated whole (e.g., the â€Å"content of a speech†). Contents is a plural countable noun. We use it when the things in a container are separate and countable (e.g., book chapters in a â€Å"table of contents†). Key when choosing between these terms, then, is considering whether you can count the contained things. The only other occasion you would use the spelling â€Å"contents,† moreover, is as a third-person singular verb meaning â€Å"satisfy,† but this is quite a rare usage. And if you’d like further help with the spelling in a document, try our proofreading service.