“It isn't” vs. “it's not”

Question

Is one stronger than the other? More correct? Just curious, one of the many abstract things to pop into my head on the drive home today...

Answer 1

They're very similar in meaning -- both are correct, both are contractions of "it is not", and both are fairly casual in tone. The differences are extremely slight, and easily negated in spoken speech by word emphasis.

(Of course, contractions are often discouraged in formal or technical writing.)

Perhaps one might avoid "it's not" because it sounds a bit like "it snot". I can't think of ant other reasons one might prefer one or the other.

Answer 2

They are identical, even in connotation.

Answer 3

I would say that the only difference is that you can put emphasis on the word 'not' in the latter example (when spoken)

It's NOT good...

It would be more difficult to emphasise the word "isn't"

Answer 4

The biggest difference between the two is how many syllables it takes to say them:

It*is*n't vs Its*not

This obviously matters a whole lot for rhythm and rhyme.

Sometimes (though rarely) it is worth avoiding the harsh 's' sound from it's not due to microphones' tendency to accentuate the sssss.

But in terms of meaning there is no significant difference. Using "it is not" would sound a tad more formal due to the lack of contractions and the overt effort required to say it that way.