When people say "I could care less"?

Question

it doesnt make sense to me, because you are trying to indicate how little you dont care, so why dont people say "I couldn't care less"?

I see it like this:

"I could care less" on a scale from 0-10 would be like a 1 or 2, meaning that you still care some

"I couldn't care less" on a scale from 0-10 would be a 0, meaning that you dont care at all

Am I the only one that sees it like this??

Answer 1

im totally with you.

i never understood that either.

so i always say i couldnt care less  

Answer 2

No, it drives me crazy. It should be I couldn't care less cause if you could care less, who cares?? Good point.  

Answer 3

the expression actually is "i couldnt care less".  meaning they dont care at all.  most people make the mistake of saying "i could care less"  my dad was complaining about just the same thing the other day.  so, no, you arent the only one.

Answer 4

when i say i could care less i really do care :(

Answer 5

saying "i could care less"  is how many people MISSPEAK.  its definately couldn't care less... or else, your not at tock bottom of boredom with the subject yet.

Answer 6

I noticed this exact thing years ago. I'm like, "what?!?!" Shouldn't it be,"I couldn't care less!" But ya, i tell you what, you and I can say it right while saying, "Oh so you do care," and smile at others when they get it wrong. lol  

Answer 7

I agree.  But think of all the energy it takes to form that extra syllable.  You can't really expect people to do all that work, can you? ;-)

Answer 8

I know!! I think so too! It's probably jus cuz it's a tiny bit quicker to say could than couldn't

Answer 9

This is a crazy question.  No offense, but it is.  This is a crazy question.  I could care less.  It's your question.  You see it like that.  

Answer 10

Actually, the proper use of the phase is "I COULDN'T care less." I've noticed that people s***w it up all the time though and it really annoys me.

Answer 11

i think people just shortened i couldnt care less to i could care less over time some people say both

Answer 12

It's not a matter of how you see it. "I couldn't care less" is correct because it conveys the meaning of not caring at all. When a person says "I could care less," they think they are conveying to the other person that they don't care at all, but of course they're not. If you could care less, then you do care to some extent. Language does evolve, and some words over time lose their original meaning and mean something else. However, in this case that doesn't apply.  

Answer 13

I know what you mean but I usually just let it go.

Answer 14

i think they are supposed to say couldnt but dont....i always say couldnt but i hear it both ways

Answer 15

Yawn.

Answer 16

It's because people who speak english (myself included) are so lazy that they can't finish their sentences.

I could care less - that's one syllable less than I couldn't care less.

People don't enunciate their words these days.

Answer 17

In my opinion, you're over-examining it. It's just a saying people use to demonstrate how little they care about something. Don't look so deeply into it.

Answer 18

I say "I couldn't care less"

Answer 19

I have been noticing this, too. I think that it has been misheard, and people just say it that way without thinking. I think if more people thought about it, they would realize that his does not make sense.

I was listening to a song one day when I realized that the singer said "I could care less", then I thought about it, and realized that it didn't make sense. I have been saying "I couldn't care less" ever since. I have even been correcting some people on it.

It's kind of like someone saying "all of the sudden" (instead of all of a sudden), or "aksed"(instead of asked). I'm glad other people noticed this. I thought I was the only one. It makes one sound a bit illiterate when they say things like this incorrectly.

Answer 20

It's just a canned phrase, where the meaning is gleaned from context and/or tone.

Similar to someone saying "you don't know nothing", it's a canned phrase whose exact linguistic meaning has been fudged out of laziness and/or for simplicity.

"Couldn't" can be hard to pronounce properly, and has probably had the n't chopped off by someone, accidentally or through laziness and it's stuck.

Answer 21

I say I could care less but most people say I couldnt care less

you're right with it not making sense

but it still gets the point across either way

Answer 22

I have pondered the same thing.

Answer 23

No you're not the only one, I see it like that too.

If you could care less it means you care a little.

Answer 24

I could care less means that I could care less than I do care. I couldn't care less means I don't care at all. See the difference?

Answer 25

You are so intelligent.  I never noticed that.  You have opened my eyes man.  I like see the world for what it is now.  You are the new Jesus.  I bow in your presence.  Now I see the light, and that light is you my friend.  Bravo!!!!

Answer 26

its probably because people are lazy

Answer 27

"I couldn't care more!" sounds a bit foolish.  Think about overwhelm, underwhelm, but what is "whelm"?

Answer 28

It's suppose to be I couldn't care less.  It's a malapropism or a pharse that is repeatedly miss spoke/written.  It's the same with people who say "take it for granite" what it should be "granted."  

Answer 29

Actually, this is one phrase that really bugs me.  It should be "I COULDN'T care less."

I  remember when I came to the US from England as a teenager, and someone said this to me once.  I'd always said, "I couldn't care less."  They said, "I COULD care less," and so I thought that they actually DID care.  I was quite confused, and so I asked them.  All I got was a blank look.

I suspect that people who say, "I could care less"  don't even realise what they're saying.

Answer 30

I have noticed this too but I could care less

Answer 31

i have had the same question for a long time and glad you finally asked the question! idk, but i'll have to watch for your other answers also