shoulda
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English
Etymology
Written form of a reduction of should have.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈʃʊdə/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ʊdə
Verb
shoulda (past subjunctive)
- (colloquial) Contraction of should have.
- You shoulda told him the truth.
Usage notes
Like other similarly formed contractions, speakers only use shoulda to replace the modal sense of should have, i.e. where have precedes a past participle: 
You shoulda gone. They do not use it to replace should followed by the verb have used lexically, e.g. 
You shoulda some patience. See also gonna.