I could/couldn't care less

It’s a common phrase, but you’re probably saying it wrong. So many people say it wrong.
But it’s so easy to figure out the right way, if you just take a second to look at the words you’re using and pay attention to what they mean before you use them.

I could care less
This is the one people use incorrectly. It literally means you DO care, because you’re saying you could care less than you currently do. It’s pretty self-explanatory. The problem is, many people use this phrase when what they’re really trying to say is…

I couldn’t care less
This one is what you’re looking for! It literally means you could NOT care less, which is a pretty effective way of indicating you just don’t care. If you use the first one (the wrong one), clever and observant people will be like, “HA! So you DO care. Joke’s on you!” And I don’t think that’s what you want.

So next time you want to tell someone just how much you don’t care, remember this: the fact that you DON’T care means you need to chuck a NOT in there. It’s “could not”. That is unless you want to be a bit of a smartass and tell people you do care, in an obscure sort of way.

This is how you might do that:
“Do you even care that I got hit by a car yesterday?”
“Well, I suppose I could care less. That sounds pretty serious."

But the more common way should look like this:
“I have an assignment to do and it’s about—”
“I don’t want to hear it. I couldn’t care less.”

Just keep in mind that sounds kind of mean. There are nicer ways to show disinterest.

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