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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “wanted”

“wanted” is pronounced /ˈwɔntɪd/ (WAWN-tid) in American English and /wɒntɪd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “wan”.
The sound

Say “wanted” in 2 beats

Say it like this

wanted

/ˈwɔntɪd/

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

2 beats
  1. wanwɔnstress
  2. tedtɪd
IPA (American)
/ˈwɔntɪd/
IPA (British)
/wɒntɪd/
Respelling
WAWN-tid
Syllables
2 — WAN-ted
Stress
Stress the first syllable: WAN-ted. “wan” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈwɔntɪd/

British

/wɒntɪd/

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

Meaning

What “wanted” means

  1. verb

    feel or have a desire for; want strongly

    “I want to go home now”

  2. verb

    have need of

    “This piano wants the attention of a competent tuner”

  3. verb

    hunt or look for; want for a particular reason

    “Your former neighbor is wanted by the FBI”

Say it in a sentence

“She always wanted to visit the mountains in autumn.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
wwɔawnnttɪshort idd

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

Questions

“wanted”, answered

How do you pronounce “wanted”?

“wanted” is pronounced /ˈwɔntɪd/ (WAWN-tid) in American English and /wɒntɪd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “wan”. Build it as WAN-ted, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “wanted” have?

2: wan · ted. The beat lands on the first, “wan”.

Is “wanted” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈwɔntɪd/ (WAWN-tid); British English says /wɒntɪd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “wanted” mean?

As a verb: feel or have a desire for; want strongly For example: “I want to go home now” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “wanted”?

Stress the first syllable: WAN-ted. “wan” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “wanted” and see every sound

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