Don't or Doesn't? Which is correct? | Britannica Dictionary

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Question

When should I use don't and doesn't? For example, is it "he don't like ice cream" or "he doesn't like ice cream?" — Learners Everywhere

Answer

"He doesn't like ice cream" is correct.

When choosing between don't and doesn't it is important to remember that don't is a contraction of do and not, and doesn't is a contraction of does and not.

Then the choice between do and does depends on its subject. Use does with third person singular subjects (he, she, it, that, John, Kim, a cat). Use do with everything else (I, we, you, they, y'all, my parents, the shoes, people).

This chart shows when to use do and when to use does:

	singular	plural
first person	I do	We do
second person	You do	You (all) do
third person	He does, She does, It does, Mary does	They do, your friends do

Don't and doesn't follow the same pattern:

	singular	plural
first person	I don't	We don't
second person	You don't	You (all) don't
third person	He doesn't, She doesn't, It doesn't, Tim doesn't	They don't, the kittens don't

I hope this helps.