Pronunciation

How to pronounce “want

“want” is pronounced /wɑnt/ (WAHNT) in American English and /wɒnt/ in British English, and /wɔnt/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “want” in one beat

Say it like this

want

/wɑnt/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wɒnt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. wantwɑnt
IPA (American)
/wɑnt/
IPA (British)
/wɒnt/
Also accepted
/wɔnt/
Respelling
WAHNT
Syllables
1 — want
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɑnt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/wɑnt/

British

/wɒnt/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “want” means

  1. noun

    a state of extreme poverty

  2. noun

    the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable

    there is a serious lack of insight into the problem

  3. noun

    anything that is necessary but lacking

    he had sufficient means to meet his simple needs

Say it in a sentence

The children want to stay up late during the holidays.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

want”, answered

How do you pronounce “want”?

“want” is pronounced /wɑnt/ (WAHNT) in American English and /wɒnt/ in British English, and /wɔnt/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /wɑnt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “want” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /wɑnt/ — a single beat.

Is “want” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /wɑnt/ (WAHNT); British English says /wɒnt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “want” mean?

As a noun: a state of extreme poverty For example: “The children want to stay up late during the holidays.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “want”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɑnt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “want” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.